Sierra Adventure
by livs2write
Summary: An assignment in the Sierra Nevada Mountains to find a missing Marine ends up being more than either Harm or Mac expected, and changes their lives forever.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Well, here's another JAG tale for your reading enjoyment! At least, I hope you enjoy it! This one is rated M... that means MATURE... which means SMUT :-) DO NOT read if you aren't old enough, or if you're offended by such content! As always, no infringement is intended and all mistakes are mine. Enjoy...

**14:07 EST**

**JAG Headquarters**

**Falls Church, VA**

Lt. Colonel Sarah Mackenzie sat wearily at her desk, rubbing her temples to try to ease the throbbing in her head. A soft knock at her office door made her look up, fervently hoping that whoever it was didn't have more work to pile onto her already heavy caseload.

Commander Harmon Rabb, Jr. smiled sympathetically at her and motioned behind him with his thumb. "Uh, Mac, the Admiral wants to see us immediately."

Mac sighed. "Yeah, okay." She stepped out of her office and fell in beside him as they headed towards the admiral's office. "Do you know what this is all about?" she asked Harm.

"No idea," Harm said, shrugging. "But we're about to find out," he told her, knocking on the Admiral's door.

They waited just long enough for the Admiral's gruff reply of, "Enter", before opening the door and stepping through, coming to attention in front of his desk.

The Admiral looked at them briefly. "At ease," he said.

Harm and Mac both relaxed a bit and waited silently for the Admiral to speak to them. When he looked up at them again and told them to have a seat, they slipped into the chairs facing the desk and glanced at each other briefly.

Admiral Chegwidden sighed and took his glasses off, setting them on the desk in front of him. He looked at Harm and Mac briefly before handing each of them a manila folder. "Two weeks ago a team of Marines went up into the Sierra Nevada mountains on a winter survival mission. One of the members disappeared three days ago, and despite extensive search and rescue operations, no one has been able to locate him. Yesterday, we received an anonymous tip that the Marine in question went UA, and that he is hiding somewhere up near where the training exercise is taking place."

"Any idea who sent the tip?" Harm asked.

"None. I'm reassigning all of your current cases; the two of you are to be on a plane to NAS Fallon in four hours. Pack for cold weather," he said, looking pointedly at them.

As one, they stood and came to attention. "Aye, aye, Sir," they both said.

"Dismissed," Admiral Chegwidden said, putting his eyeglasses back on and returning to the stack on his desk.

They left the Admiral's office and Harm glanced at Mac. "I'm guessing your usual bag isn't going to cut it this time? I know mine won't."

Mac sighed and shook her head. "Definitely not. I'm going to have to run home and pack really quick. I'm thinking when we get to NAS Fallon, we can requisition some winter gear."

Harm nodded, not surprised they were thinking along the same lines. "Would you like me to pick you up and take you to the airport? One less car to worry about, and you won't have to drive your corvette in this weather," he said, glancing out the windows at the snow coming down.

Mac smiled. "Sounds good. Pick me up at 16:00 hours."

Harm nodded as he made his way to his office to get his files ready to give to Tiner, and to gather up his things. "See you, then."

**15:56 EST**

**Mac's Apartment**

**Georgetown**

The knock sounded at her door just after Mac had finished going around her apartment and unplugging all unnecessary items. The coffee maker was the last thing she'd unplugged before she heard Harm's knock, so she went to the living room and opened the door. "Hi, I'm all set. Let me just grab my coat," she told him.

Harm nodded and motioned to her bag. "Would you like me to carry this for you?"

Mac smiled softly as she pulled on her heavy coat. Much as she liked being independent and self-sufficient, it was nice to still have a gentleman around once in awhile. "Sure; thanks."

Harm hid his surprise, and picked up her bag. Normally, when they were headed off on an assignment, she would never allow him to carry her bag. She was a Marine, and as such, didn't usually allow herself anything that might make her look weak in the eyes of a man, but being the gentleman he was, he had to ask anyway. This time, he was pleasantly surprised that she had allowed him this small gesture. Maybe this was a sign things were getting better between them. The moment she had her door locked, they fell into step beside each other and headed down to his SUV. The weather had turned nastier, and he was silently thankful that she had agreed to let him drive.

"I got a call from the Admiral on the way over to your place," Harm told her. "We're leaving out of PAX River, instead of Dulles."

Mac groaned. "Great; that means military transport."

Harm grinned. "I thought you Jarheads could handle anything?"

"I can handle it," Mac said. "I'd just prefer a more comfortable method of transportation."

They made it to PAX River in plenty of time, surprised that the traffic had actually been in their favor, considering the snow was still falling heavily. As they made it into the hangar where they would find out which flight they were to take, the air boss came up to them. Telling them to stand at ease when they immediately snapped to attention, he reached out to shake their hands, and then he looked at Harm. "Commander Rabb, it's good to meet you. I was told that you're qualified to fly a Tomcat... feel like flying one to NAS Fallon for us?"

Mac did a double take. "What?"

"I'm down a pilot and this bird needs to be in Fallon today. Instead of scheduling you two a flight on a cramped transport, you can take the Tomcat for me. Do you have a problem with that?" he asked, noting the slightly pale look of Mac's face.

Harm looked questioningly at Mac. "Colonel?"

Mac sighed. 'Suck it up, Marine,' she told herself, pulling her shoulders back and standing up straighter. "No, no problem, sir. Where do we put our gear?"

Harm flashed her his signature grin, as the air boss gestured them in the direction they had to go. It didn't take long for them to stow their gear, and for Harm to do his preflight check. In no time at all, they were taking off.

Mac was taking deep breaths, trying hard to keep from throwing up. "How long will it take to get to Fallon?" she asked Harm.

"Two and a half, three hours, tops. Think you can handle it?"

"Do I have a choice?" Mac asked, the sarcasm heavy in her voice.

Harm chuckled softly. "Not anymore. You had your chance to back out at PAX River."

"Yeah, right!" Mac scoffed. "Just nothing fancy, okay?"

"Aw, Mac, where's your sense of adventure?" Harm asked.

"I left it with my stomach back on the ground!" Mac replied.

Harm chuckled again. "Just hang tight, Mac; we'll be there before you know it."

**1****6:32 PST**

**NAS Fallon**

**Fallon, NV**

Harm helped Mac down and stood beside her as she placed her head between her legs, breathing deeply. "You okay, Marine?"

Mac nodded. "Yeah... just give me a minute."

"I'll grab our gear; take it slowly and I'll be right back," Harm told her. Stopping briefly, he smiled at her and placed a hand on her back. "You make a good RIO, Mac. If we could get you past this, you could have a new career."

Mac groaned, but smiled at him. "Thanks."

Harm laughed, and then nodded once and turned to go retrieve their gear.

Five minutes later, they had their gear and were headed towards the main hangar. A young man jogged up to them and saluted. "Sir, Ma'am, I'm Petty Officer Davis. If you'll follow me, I'm supposed to take you to Admiral Milson to check in."

Harm nodded at the Petty Officer. "At ease, Petty Officer; lead the way."

PO Davis looked at them. "We'll stop first, so you can remove your flight suits. Would you like me to take those for you?" he asked, indicating their bags.

"No, thank you; just show us where we're going," Harm told him.

"Aye, aye, sir," PO Davis said. Snapping around on his heel, he started leading them to the hangar where the flight suits were stored. Once they had removed them, and had put on their regular uniforms, he led them towards the office where their meeting with Admiral Milson would be.

As soon as they were standing in front of the Admiral, they snapped to attention.

"Commander Rabb and Lt. Colonel Mackenzie reporting as ordered, sir," Harm said.

The Admiral looked at the two of them and nodded once. "At ease," he said. "I assume the two of you have been briefed on the situation here?"

"Yes, sir," Mac replied.

"Good. I've got quarters arranged for you for tonight, since it's already almost dark outside. First thing in the morning, the two of you are going to be on your way up to the Sierras to start the search for our UA soldier," he told them. "Our staff JAG has already questioned a number of his family and friends, and we should be receiving the report from his interviews with the other members of Private First Class Dempsey's unit. Petty Officer Davis will show you where you're bunking for the night, and then he will show you where the JAG office is. Any questions?"

"No, sir," Harm and Mac said together.

Admiral Milson nodded curtly. "Very good; dismissed."

As one, they turned around and followed PO Davis out.

**19****:47 PST**

**NAS Fallon**

**Fallon, NV**

Harm finished reading over the reports that Lt. Briers had faxed to them. So far, there was no indication as to who had sent in the tip that the missing PFC was UA and not lost out in the frozen wilderness. But looking at PFC Dempsey's background and service record, it made more sense that the man was UA, and not just lost.

The kid had grown up in the area and was familiar with the local mountains. His Boy Scout troop had often hiked up in the wilderness of the Sierras, and he, and his father and brothers, had spent a great deal of time up there as well. Besides that, his unit had been training up there for almost two weeks before he disappeared.

"I'm beginning to agree that this kid is UA and not lost," Mac said, as she flopped the file she'd been reading down onto the desk in front of her.

Harm nodded in agreement, rubbing his eyes. "If he knows those mountains as well as it says he does, we're going to have our work cut out for us."

"Speaking of which, we'd better get our gear while we still can, and then I'm going to go eat something and hit the rack," Mac said.

"Sounds like a plan," Harm said, as they stacked the files back into an orderly pile and headed out of the office.

It didn't take them long to acquire the things they needed, and after they'd dropped their stuff off at their bunks, they made their way to the mess hall. While they ate, they discussed the case some more and tried to establish a plan of action.

"I know this area fairly well," Mac told him. "Uncle Matt and I have been up here a lot. We'd often follow the hiking trails, but many times we'd just take off into the woods and camp out. It was a lot of fun."

Harm was genuinely surprised. "Well, at least we shouldn't get lost," he said, grinning at her. "Petty Officer Davis said he'd have satellite photos of the area, and topographical maps for us before we leave in the morning, as well as a GPS. It shouldn't take us long to get up there."

"Depends on the weather," Mac replied. "It's at least a two hour drive from here, and if it's snowing, it will take longer, especially if the snow plows aren't running yet." She took another drink of her coffee. "God, I hope we don't have to chain up."

Harm grinned at her, nodding. It was one of the main reasons he was happy driving his SUV during the winter; snow tires, and four wheel drive, and he was usually good to go.

They finished their coffee and then decided it was time to head off to bed. They walked side by side until they got to the place where they had to separate for the night.

"See you in the morning, Mac," Harm said.

"Yeah; good night, Harm," Mac said.

"Good night." He watched her turn away and go into the building where her bunk was, before heading for his own. It was going to be another long, lonely night, he thought to himself.

**06:52 PST**

**NAS Fallon**

**Fallon, NV**

Harm and Mac loaded the last of their supplies into the SUV they'd been given. Mac had insisted on driving, since she knew the area. Harm cringed inwardly, but knew it was probably wisest.

"Are you taking the shortest route, or the fastest, Ma'am?" PO Davis asked.

"Isn't the shortest route the fastest route?" Harm asked.

Mac shook her head. "No." She turned her attention to the Petty Officer. "Which would you recommend?"

"Well, Ma'am, since you've got the SUV, either way will work. Personally, I'd take the shortest route. The speed limit is slower, but there's less traffic, and it's more direct. Besides, then you don't have to go through Reno. The Spaghetti Bowl gets a bit nasty after a big snow."

"The Spaghetti Bowl?" Harm asked, grinning.

"It's the interchange between Interstate 80 and Highway 395, sir," PO Davis explained.

Harm nodded once in understanding. "Well, we'd best be on our way. Thank you for all your help, Petty Officer Davis; we'll be in touch."

PO Davis snapped to attention, and then relaxed as he watched them climb into the SUV and drive off.

Harm and Mac chatted comfortably while they drove westbound on Williams Avenue through the town of Fallon. "This must be the main street," Harm commented, noting all of the businesses they kept passing.

"No, actually, Maine Street is the main street," she replied. "And yes, it is spelled that way on purpose," she told him, as she nodded to the sign ahead of them.

Harm chuckled. "I'm sure there's a story there."

Mac grinned. "There is." She changed lanes so that she could go around a slow moving Geo.

"Well?" Harm asked, "Aren't you going to tell me?"

Mac chuckled slightly. "The guy that originally owned the land only made one request when he gave it to the city: to name the street after his home state of Maine. I don't remember the details, really. I just know the gist of it."

Harm let out a short laugh. "Ah."

They passed through the main part of town, the speed limit gradually increasing. Harm remembered from the last time he'd been out here that much of the land surrounding Fallon was farmland.

As the buildings became fewer and farther between, Mac got over into the left lane and prepared to make a left onto highway 50. They drove in mostly silence, until Harm could see a lake up ahead.

"What lake is that?" He asked.

"Lahontan," Mac replied. "It's not a naturally occurring lake; it's a reservoir. Though it is named after a huge lake that covered this entire region during the Ice Age. They have speed boat races out here during the summer time, and if you have a boat, you can go to an area where there are bald eagles nesting up in the cliffs."

Harm smiled, impressed at the extent of her knowledge. "I bet that's something to see."

"It is," Mac sighed wistfully.

They came upon a town called Silver Springs, and made a stop at a four way stop, before continuing on highway 50.

Harm noticed that Mac was softly singing along with the song on the radio and smiled to himself. She really had a lovely voice. He idly watched as they passed through several towns, mentally noting the names. Weeks, Stagecoach, Sutro, Dayton... finally, they came upon Carson City. Mac made a left turn onto highway 395 and they went through the main part of the state's capital city. There were a lot of historic buildings and museums along the main highway, and Harm thought that he would have to take some vacation time to come and visit the area sometime.

Mac hung a right and turned into a gas station.

Harm glanced at the gas gauge, which still read almost full. "What's up?"

"If we're going on a trek through the mountains, I'm taking this opportunity to use the bathroom and get some lunch," she told him, daring him to argue.

Harm grinned. "That's my Marine, always thinking with her stomach."

Mac stuck her tongue out at him and headed inside, smiling to herself when he jogged to catch up to her. As usual, she was aware of the stares that people gave them. Dressed in their fatigues, they stuck out like a sore thumb. Most people were respectful, smiling at them as they passed. Others gave them disgusted looks, but they usually just turned their backs on them. She made her way to the ladies' room and closed the door.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: This is rated M for explicit sexual content... you know the drill. All mistakes are mine. Enjoy...

**08:06 PST**

**Carson City, NV**

They got back into the SUV and Harm chuckled as he watched Mac, now armed with a large cup of coffee, several sandwiches, and enough junk food for a small regiment, buckling her seatbelt. Sipping at his own coffee, he settled in as she pulled out into the light morning traffic and made a right at the next stoplight, where highway 50 picked up again from highway 395.

The road wound steadily up the hill, and in places was a bit steep, but they made pretty good time. A sign on the side of the road said 'Spooner Summit Elevation 7,146 ft.'.

"We're at the summit, now," Mac said, "you should see The Lake any minute."

"Lake?" Harm asked, "I've seen a couple of those. Including the one on the right," he said, pointing out his window.

"That's Spooner Lake," Mac told him. "So far, all we've seen are baby lakes. Once you see Lake Tahoe, you won't _ever_ forget it."

"I've seen the Great Lakes, Mac," Harm told her. "What makes Lake Tahoe so special?"

Mac smiled softly. "You'll see."

They went around a bend and up a small hill. When they got to the top of the hill, the breath in Harm's throat caught and his eyes widened. "Whoa..." he said, softly.

"Yeah," Mac whispered.

In all of his travels, Harm had never seen any body of water quite as beautiful as the one he was looking upon now. The clear water surrounded by snow was simply breathtaking.

Mac smiled as she glanced at him, and saw the same look of awe she had experienced the first time she'd ever seen the lake. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" she asked, softly.

Harm nodded. "Yeah. What's it like in the summer; do you know?"

"Just as beautiful, but without all of the snow. It's a great place to camp, or swim. There's a lot to do around here."

"Such as?" Harm asked, still watching out the window to catch glimpses of the lake as they drove the winding road around it.

"Skiing in the winter, camping and swimming in the summer," Mac said. "They have two paddle boats that do cruises on the lake, and you can rent sailboats, houseboats, or motor boats. Some people water ski during the summer, others like just lazily floating around the lake on a houseboat. Then there's all the hiking and bicycle trails around the lake. I hear it's a great place to fish, too. On the Nevada side, there are casino resorts, and on the California side, there's a lot of other things to do. It's a pretty amazing place."

Harm looked over at Mac. "Do you ski?"

"Yes," Mac said, "though I've not done it in years, so I'm a little rusty."

"Water or snow?" Harm asked.

"Both," she said, smiling at his surprised look. "How about you?"

"I know how to snow ski, but I've never been on water skis."

"Same concept, except that you aren't going downhill and when you fall, it hurts a little less," she said.

Harm chuckled at that. "You'll have to teach me."

"I'd like that," she replied, as they went around another curve and came upon a row of casino resorts on either side of the highway.

They drove carefully past the tourist spots, and after a few more miles, they came to a 'Y' in the road, where Mac veered to the left. They drove up the winding road a ways, and then Mac made a right turn onto Johnson Pass Road. Further ahead, she went right onto Echo Lake Road, and followed it through some pretty exclusive real estate, until she came to a road that was only slightly wider than the vehicle they were driving. She continued to drive along the road, until a small lake came into view.

"Echo Lake," Mac said, nodding her head towards the lake ahead. She had to pull as far to the right as she could, to allow an oncoming vehicle to pass narrowly by on the left. The driver of the other vehicle waved his thanks, and Mac waved back. Once it was past, she pulled back onto the road and continued.

"I hope no one decides to speed on this road," Harm commented.

"The residents up here take these tiny roads very seriously," Mac told him. "It's the tourists you have to watch out for."

She followed the narrow road until it opened up into a parking lot, where a sign read 'Echo Chalet'.

"The Lodge has some small cabins that they rent out during the summer months," Mac said, as she parked and unbuckled her seatbelt. "This place is pretty much closed during the winter, except for the store. It's open for the local residents. We'll use the facilities, check in with NAS Fallon, and gear up for the hike in."

**10:12 PST**

**Echo Lake Chalet Store**

**Echo Lake, CA**

Harm looked around at the snow covered mountains. "It doesn't look too bad," he said.

"It's early in the season, yet," Mac said. "Snow packs can be in excess of fifteen feet, once the real weather sets in. Fortunately for us, the weather system that passed through yesterday wasn't too bad. We're supposed to have a couple more storms move through, but I'm hoping we'll beat any major snow."

Harm nodded, as they climbed the steps up to the small store.

They entered the store and the clerk looked up. He smiled broadly when he saw them. "Good morning," he said. "We don't see many the likes of you up here. You two part of that Marine training team that lost one of their soldiers?"

Harm smiled at the man, as Mac headed for the coffee. "Actually, we're here as part of the search. I'm Commander Harmon Rabb and this is my partner, Lt. Colonel Sarah Mackenzie," Harm said, motioning towards Mac. "Rumor has it he didn't get lost, but took off. We're here to investigate that claim."

The man's eyes widened. "Can't imagine that'd go over very well with the Corps." He shook his head, his gray hair ruffling slightly. "I'm Rufus Jones," he said, introducing himself. "Kids these days… in my day, I never would have gone AWOL. I was scared to death I'd spend the rest of my days locked up in the brig!"

Harm chuckled. "Well, fortunately it doesn't happen very often. If you see or hear anything, would you please give someone at NAS Fallon a call?" He took out a card he'd gotten from the base, and handed it to Mr. Jones.

"May I use your restroom?" Mac asked, as she set the coffees on the counter.

"Sure thing," Mr. Jones said. "Last door on the left down the hall. It's marked 'employees only'; the public restrooms are closed for the winter."

"Thank you," Mac said, as she made her way back.

"You folks have everything you need for a winter hike?" Mr. Jones asked.

Harm nodded. "Yes, sir, we got everything together before we left the base. Though my partner may need more junk food for the trip," he grinned, as Mac came out of the restroom and grabbed a bag of potato chips and two packages of HoHos.

Mac stuck her tongue out at him, as she set the items beside the coffees on the counter. "Better use the head while you can, flyboy," she said. "From here on out, it's the freezing cold wilderness."

"Yes, dear," Harm sighed, winking at Mr. Jones, before heading towards the restroom.

"You two worked together long?" Mr. Jones asked.

"Just under five years," Mac replied.

Mr. Jones nodded, smiling to himself, while Mac looked at some items on display on the counter.

When Harm came out of the restroom, Mac looked over at him. "Need or want anything else?" she asked.

Harm gave her an amused look, thinking to himself what a loaded question that was. "No; I'm ready when you are," was all he said, instead.

Mac paid for the items on the counter and they thanked Mr. Jones, before heading out of the small store.

"Do you want to eat lunch before we start the hike in, or wait a bit longer?" Mac asked, as she sipped her coffee.

"We should wait a bit longer," he replied. "In this weather, I imagine the sandwiches will keep for a couple of hours."

Mac nodded her agreement, and they put on their heavy coats, hats, and gloves, before making sure everything was in their packs and putting those on as well. Harm made a quick call to NAS Fallon to report in and then he put his cell phone back in his pocket and looked at Mac.

"Ready?" Harm asked Mac.

"As I'll ever be," Mac replied, squaring her shoulders the best she could manage. "Let's head out."

They headed west, climbing the snow-covered rocky terrain. Mac was silently grateful that she was in top-shape, as she was still out of breath climbing through the shallow drifts, up the steep, often slippery, slopes.

They'd hiked about two miles, when Harm stopped and removed his pack. "Let's stop and have some lunch," he suggested.

Mac resisted the urge to kiss him. "Good idea," she said, removing her own pack. She brushed snow off of a large, flat-topped boulder and sat down on it, scooting over for Harm to join her.

Harm sat down beside her and pulled out the lunch they'd purchased from the gas station in Carson City. "I figure we're about ten miles from the Marine base camp," he said. "We should probably try to hike another two or three miles, and then make camp for the night. We can finish the trek in tomorrow."

"Why didn't they just airlift us in?" Mac asked, taking a bite of her sandwich.

"This is part of the search," Harm said. "Admiral Milson said we might catch sight of him, or the place he may be holed up, if we hiked in. Personally, I think he wants to see just what us lawyers are made of."

Mac grinned. "Well, he doesn't know the two of us, does he?"

Harm winked at her. "Nope."

They finished their sandwiches and drank some water from their canteens, before strapping their packs on again and heading out.

"The bears should all be hibernating by now," Mac told him, as they hiked further into the wilderness. "We just need to watch for mountain lions and coyotes."

Harm stopped, turning to stare at her with an incredulous look.

"What?" Mac asked.

"You just had to bring that up?" he asked.

Mac smiled at him. "Oh, is Harmy afraid of a big bad mountain lion?" she asked in a voice one would use with a small child.

"Cute," Harm said, turning to continue the trek up the mountain.

Mac only smiled at his retreating form, though she frequently paused to take a good look around her, checking for said wild animals.

**15:28 PST**

**Sierra Nevada Mountains**

**Near Echo Lake, CA**

Harm glanced at his watch and then stopped, pulling his pack off. "It's almost 15:30," he said to Mac. "We should probably think about making camp, before it starts getting dark."

Mac nodded her agreement, pulling her pack off as well. "I'll see what I can find for a small fire, while you set up the tent."

"All right," Harm acquiesced, kneeling down and pulling the two-person dome tent off of his pack. It didn't take him long to set it up, and he had just finished putting their bedrolls down inside of it, when a loud splash and a startled scream had him darting out of the tent, running in the direction he'd seen Mac head off in.

"Mac!" he yelled, his eyes scanning the area as he paused.

"Harm!" he heard her call.

Continuing on at a run, he stopped when he saw Mac struggling desperately for a hand hold, sticking out of a hole in the ice of a small pond, coughing, and sputtering.

"Mac!" Harm yelled again. "Hang on!" He got as close as he could, his eyes searching for a large branch, or anything else he could use to pull her to safety. Finally finding a dead tree branch, he got down onto his stomach and scooted as close to her as he could on the ice, extending the branch out in front of him. "Grab on!"

Mac grabbed the branch, holding as tightly as her near-frozen fingers would allow, while Harm pulled her out of the freezing cold water. As soon as she was near enough, he pulled her to him, rolling so that he was sitting up on the solid ground, and she was cradled in his lap.

"Mac, thank God," he said, holding her close. "Are you okay?"

Mac nodded, though she was shivering and her teeth were chattering uncontrollably.

Harm looked at her and quickly stood, pulling her with him. He took her back to where he'd made camp, and pulled her into the tent.

"We've got to get you out of these wet clothes," he said, as he began removing the sopping wet items as quickly as he could.

Mac could only stand there shaking, while Harm removed everything but her panties and bra. He laid her down on his bedroll and then covered her with her own, tucking it around her tightly.

"I'm going to go get the thermos; the coffee should still be hot enough to start warming you up," Harm told her.

A minute later, he found Mac still shaking beneath the blankets and her lips were turning blue. Frowning, he realized there was no way she would be able to drink the coffee.

He began stripping off his own clothes.

"Wh-what-t-t arrrr y-y-you d-d-doing?" Mac asked through her chattering teeth.

"Getting you warm," Harm told her, in a tone that would brook no argument. He was now wearing only his boxers, as he climbed beneath the covers and pulled her body flush against his own. He wrapped the thermal blankets he'd grabbed out of the survival kit tight around them, and then pulled the warm beanie hat he had pulled from his pack onto Mac's head.

Mac was still shivering, as Harm wrapped his body around hers. A part of her brain, the part that wasn't half frozen, couldn't help but wonder how awkward things were going to be in the morning, when she was no longer freezing.

Harm had to force himself to concentrate on the fact that he was trying to save his partner's life, as he felt nearly every inch of Mac's soft skin and luscious curves against his body. In all of his fantasies involving the two of them tangled together, they had never included a nearly-frozen Sarah Mackenzie.

An hour later, Mac's shivering had almost completely stopped, and she had drifted off to sleep.

It was nearly dark outside and Harm could no longer see her face in the murky interior of the tent, but he could tell by the cadence of her breathing that Mac was sleeping soundly. He gently tightened his embrace as he thought of the fact that he could have lost her that day.

He kissed her forehead as he lightly caressed her skin, until he, too, drifted off to sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: This story is rated M for sexual content~ you know the drill. All mistakes are mine. Enjoy...

**00:19 PST**

**Sierra Nevada Mountains**

**Near Echo Lake, CA**

Mac startled awake, unsure of what had woken her. Harm was still tightly wrapped around her and she found that she was not only warm, but very comfortable. Smiling to herself, she closed her eyes and listened to the sound of the wind blowing through the tops of the pine trees. The sound was soothing, and she was unconsciously tracing lazy circles on Harm's chest with the tip of her finger.

Harm was also awake, and he was trying very hard to lie still. The feel of Mac's warm, soft body pressed against his and the light tickling sensation of her finger as it traced circles on his chest, was making it nearly impossible for him to form a coherent thought. He felt his body's response to the stimuli it was receiving, and he had to bite his lip to keep from groaning. This was bad. Very, very bad.

Mac slowly became aware of Harm's body's reaction to her, and she went completely still, hardly daring to breathe. She didn't know if he was awake or not, and she wasn't sure exactly which she'd prefer.

If he was awake, he was surely as aware of every inch of exposed skin they had pressed together as she was, which was likely the reason for the hard length pressed tightly against her. That he could feel that way about her, pleased her immensely.

If he was asleep, his erection was probably the result of some dream… was it of her?… in which case, he was completely unaware of it. Meaning she was the only one lying awake and frustrated at the moment, and also meaning that it was entirely possible that it had nothing at all to do with her.

Mac thought about how close she'd come to dying that afternoon, and shivered involuntarily. If she had died beneath the frozen surface of that pond, she never again would have had the chance to tell Harm how much he meant to her. So what was stopping her now?

Harm felt Mac still in his arms, and knew that she was aware of his reaction to her. He remained as motionless as he possibly could, afraid that if she knew he was awake she'd probably be angry, or embarrassed, and then would insist that they separate. He wasn't ready to let go of her just yet.

He felt her shudder suddenly, and became immediately concerned. Was she still cold? Deciding that her health and comfort were more important to him than his pride, he gently rubbed her arms.

"Still cold?" he asked softly.

Mac's breath caught, as she realized that he was, indeed, awake.

"No," she answered, just as softly. "Just thinking."

Harm frowned slightly. "About?"

"About how close I came to dying," she said, shuddering again.

Harm's arms tightened slightly around her. "I know," he said, kissing her forehead gently. "I don't know what I'd have done if I had lost you," he admitted quietly.

Mac tilted her head up, so that their lips were a hairsbreadth apart. "I'm still here," she breathed.

Harm nodded slowly. "Yeah… you are," he agreed, just before his mouth claimed her own.

Mac felt his lips cover hers, so gentle and tender, she wanted to cry. No one had ever kissed her like that before. Increasing the pressure, she freed her arms from between them and wrapped them around his neck.

The moment her arms wrapped around him, the kiss exploded and took on a life of its own. He couldn't seem to get enough of her, she tasted so wonderful.

"Sarah," he breathed, when the lack of oxygen finally forced them to separate.

Mac shivered, closing her eyes. "I love the way you say my name," she sighed softly.

Harm moved his hand down her neck, tenderly caressing the skin as he made his way to the valley between her breasts. "Sarah, if we do this, there's no going back," he said softly. "I love you too much to go back to the status quo."

This time, tears spilled from her eyes. "I know," she whispered. "I don't want to go back, either… I love you, too." She kissed him briefly. "Make love to me, Harm."

Harm's hand closed over her breast as his lips again found hers, holding her to him with his other arm.

Mac moaned beneath his touch, aching to feel all of him. She slipped a hand between them, into his boxers, and lightly stroked along his full length, causing a tight feeling in her womb, and a rush of molten fluid from her core. She continued to fondle him, her movements changing from slow and gentle, to swift and hard.

Harm suddenly pulled back from her lips, breathing heavily as he reached between them to still her hand. "If you keep doing that, this is all going to be over very quickly," he rasped.

Mac smiled silkily. "We don't want that," she said, moving her hand from his grip and brushing his cheek with her fingers.

"No," Harm said. "We definitely don't want that," he agreed. "I want to be inside of you when I cum."

Mac felt another tightening at her center, and another hot rush of liquid desire at his words. "Then we'd better move these proceedings along," she whispered into his ear, nipping at the earlobe. "Because I want you so much, it hurts."

Harm quickly removed her bra, and their underwear, and ran a finger through her slick folds. "Sweet mother of God," he breathed. "You're soaking wet."

"There'll be time for the rest later," she said raggedly. "I need to feel you inside of me now… I want you… please…" she begged.

Harm moved so that he was above her, and felt her guide his tip to her entrance. Slowly, agonizingly, he filled her, stopping when he couldn't go any further. "Sarah…" he rasped out again.

Mac wrapped her legs around his waist, tilting so that he was further inside of her than anyone had ever been before. Groaning his name, she dug her fingers into his butt, moving her hips to encourage him.

Harm's world exploded into color, light, and sensation, as Mac began to move. This was what he'd been missing all of his life, he thought to himself. He began to thrust gently, not wanting to hurt her.

"Harder… faster…" she pleaded, causing all coherent thought to leave his mind, as he began to pound into her instinctively.

Several minutes later, he knew he wasn't going to last another moment.

"I'm going to~" he ground out, pushing as far into her as he could, as he exploded inside of her. "Sarah… oh, God… Sarah…" he gasped, grinding his hips against her.

A second later, Mac was screaming his name, her nails digging into his flesh, as she tightened and pulsed around him.

Harm collapsed on top of her, rolling just enough to keep from crushing her, as he wrapped his arms around her and held her to him.

They clung to each other for several long minutes, allowing their breathing to return to normal and their bodies to come down from the adrenaline high.

"I love you," he whispered, kissing her sweat-slicked brow, wrapping the thermal blankets tightly around them again, and gently caressing her skin.

Mac smiled through the haze in her brain. "I love you, too," she said softly.

Several minutes later, they were both sound asleep.

**08:19 PST**

**Sierra Nevada Mountains**

**Near Echo Lake, CA**

Mac awoke slowly, stretching languorously, but snuggling back under the blankets quickly when the icy cold air hit her skin. It was then that she realized that she was alone.

At first she thought that the last night might have all been a dream, but the sticky feeling between her legs, and the slight soreness of muscles that hadn't been used in awhile, told her differently, and she smiled a lazy, contented smile.

She wondered what was going through Harm's mind this morning. Did he regret last night? She also wondered how, or if, last night was going to change their relationship.

But he had said as much, hadn't he? He had said that he couldn't go back. Back to the 'status quo'.

The sound of the zipper on the tent made her look towards the entrance, and a moment later Harm stepped through, zipped the tent closed again, and turned around. When he saw she was awake, he smiled broadly and carefully knelt down beside her.

"Good morning," he said. "I brought you some coffee, and what will have to pass as breakfast."

Mac returned his smile, as she moved to as much of a sitting position as she could manage and still remain covered up, and accepted the cup of coffee he offered, thanking him. She took a sip, and then sighed.

"How long have you been up?" she asked him.

"I _woke_ up a couple of hours ago," he replied. "The wind was blowing pretty hard, and it made it hard for me to sleep. I've only actually _been_ up for about thirty minutes, though. It's snowing like crazy out there, and I was trying to get enough of a fire started to heat up the coffee."

Mac grimaced. "If it's snowing, that's going to make hiking to the base camp a lot tougher." She accepted one of the packages of miniature doughnuts she'd picked up at the gas station in Carson City, and the military-ration protein bar, from him.

"We're not going to be able to go anywhere," he told her. "We're stuck here until the snow stops. I tried my cell phone, but it doesn't work up here, and the radio is useless, since it was in the pocket of your fatigues and got soaked when you took your unexpected swim yesterday."

Mac's eyes widened. "Oh! I completely forgot about that."

Harm shrugged. "Don't worry about it; we'll be fine for a day or two."

Mac nodded, and they finished eating in silence. When they'd finished eating, Harm gathered up the trash and put it into the plastic bag, setting it in a corner of the tent.

Mac removed the warm beanie hat she was still wearing, and then snuggled down into the warmth of their combined bedrolls and thermal blankets, and smiled up at him. "Well, since we're stuck here with nothing to do, and no way to go anywhere, why don't you come back to bed?"

Harm gave her a slow, sexy grin. "Now how could I possibly refuse an offer like that?" he asked, as he stood and began to strip down.

Mac watched him as he removed each item, her desire growing with each article that he took off, revealing his hard, well-toned body to her.

Harm's eyes met hers and he gave her a tender smile, his eyes shining with his love for her. "Did you sleep okay?" he asked, as he slipped off the rest of his clothing and climbed under the covers with her.

Mac gave a surprised squeal. "You're freezing!" she said, wrapping her body around him to warm him up.

"Um… snowing?" he reminded her with a cocky grin.

"Mmm… smartass," she said, nuzzling his neck. "Guess we'll just have to keep each other warm."

"Sounds like a solid plan of action," Harm murmured, as he kissed the hollow behind her ear, and smiled when she shivered against him.

"How long did you say we're snowed in for?" she asked, caressing his chest with the palms of her hands.

"At least a day or two," he murmured. "Maybe three." He inhaled sharply when she circled a nipple with her tongue.

Mac smiled, just before he tilted her chin up with his forefinger and his lips captured hers in a tender, lingering kiss.

They took their time, kissing, caressing, and exploring one another's bodies. When they had finally brought each other to the brink of ecstasy, Harm rolled onto his back and pulled Mac on top of him. A blink of an eye later and Mac was sliding onto him, causing him to groan in pleasure.

"Jeez, Mac, you're so tight," he hissed, as he grabbed her hips and pushed up into her.

Mac gave him a slow, sexy smile, and lifted herself off of him until he was almost completely out of her, and then pushed back down onto him again, throwing her head back and moaning with pleasure.

They gradually increased the pace, until Mac was rising and falling against him in rapid succession, her breasts bouncing with each movement.

Harm lifted up enough so that he could capture one of her taut nipples in his mouth, and suckled.

"Oh… Harm…harder," she pleaded, as she quickened the pace.

Harm bit gently on the nipple and Mac fell over the edge, gasping his name out as her release washed over her.

A few more hard thrusts and Harm exploded into her, roaring her name just before she collapsed on top of him.

Harm wrapped the blankets around them both, holding her close to him as he kissed her temple. They were both breathing heavily, the cold air stinging their overheated lungs.

"I love you," Harm murmured, when they'd finally calmed down. He tightened his embrace, and when she looked up at him, he kissed her tenderly.

Mac smiled at him, her eyes shining. "I love you, too," she said, before kissing him again. When she pulled away, they continued to stare into one another's eyes for several long moments.

Finally, Harm brushed the hair out of Mac's eyes and gently pulled her head so that it was lying against his chest. He began caressing her hair with one hand, and her shoulder with the other.

For the first time in his life, he felt whole.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Thank you to those that have reviewed! They keep me going, and are extremely appreciated! This tale is rated M for strong sexual content... you know the drill. Enjoy...

**18:23 PST**

**Sierra Nevada Mountains**

**Near Echo Lake, CA**

Mac woke up and turned her head, pulling back just enough so that she could see Harm. She watched him as he slept, feeling completely content and at peace for the first time in her life.

They had been satisfied to just hold one another for awhile after they had made love, and then they'd spent hours talking. They'd eaten a bland lunch of military-issue freeze-dried food, and then had snuggled down under the blankets to talk some more.

They were closer than they'd ever been before, and Harm had hinted at what he wanted for the future. Then they had made love again.

Mac moved slightly, wincing at the flow of sticky fluid that was collecting between her legs… and her heart suddenly felt as if it had stopped. She and Harm had made love three times now, and neither one of them had mentioned a thing about birth control.

Swallowing hard, Mac took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. She had always insisted that any new lovers she had use a condom for the first several months of their relationship and, when she was more comfortable, she switched to using just her diaphragm for birth control. The hormones in birth control pills had always made her ill, so she'd given up taking them years before.

With Harm, she'd been too caught up in the moment (all of them) to even think about any sort of protection, and she was sure the same was true for him. He would never deliberately expect that she, alone, should be responsible for it. She had no worries in the disease department~ she trusted him completely on that end.

Suddenly feeling sick to her stomach, Mac sat up, careful not to disturb Harm, and began to pull the dry clothes she had in her knapsack on. Then she slipped out of the tent, and stood just outside the door.

The snow had stopped coming down and the clouds had disappeared. The sky was clear, and there were a million bright stars shining above, but Mac was too distracted to notice how beautiful the night was.

Knowing it was too dangerous to wander away from the tent, Mac surveyed the amount of snow on the ground. It was maybe two to four feet deep just beyond the shelter of the tree where Harm had pitched the tent, and if it didn't snow again tonight or tomorrow, by mid-morning most of it would be gone, but what was left would be a slushy mess.

Sighing, Mac grabbed some wood from the small pile Harm had managed to collect, and began to build a fire. It wouldn't be much, but it would at least be enough to heat some water so that they could have a hot~ if less than appetizing~ dinner.

The coals were white-hot, and the water in the pot had just started to boil, when Harm came out of the tent. He looked at her and flashed his thousand-watt smile at her before moving closer to the fire, his steps faltering a bit when Mac quickly averted her eyes and then refused to look at him.

Warily, he moved to sit beside her on the log he'd dragged over by the fire earlier that morning.

"Mac? You okay?" he asked.

Mac shrugged a shoulder, nodded, and grabbed the package of dehydrated stew to pour into the pot of water. "Want some coffee?" she asked, indicating the pot sitting on a rock beside the fire-pit.

"No, thank you," he replied, frowning in concerned puzzlement. He couldn't figure out what had brought this change about. He tentatively took her hand, somewhat relieved when she didn't pull it away. "Mac… talk to me. What's wrong?"

Mac looked into his eyes and saw the love and concern in them, and her own eyes filled with tears. She looked up towards the stars, taking a shaky breath, willing herself not to cry. "I am so, so sorry," she said softly.

Harm's heart clenched at her words. Had he read too much into what had transpired between them over the last day? "Sorry?" he echoed softly.

Mac nodded, and blinked rapidly, standing suddenly and pulling her hand out of his grasp when she did. "I screwed up. I… I'm sorry."

Harm frowned, then stood and moved to stand behind her. He put his hands on her shoulders, turning her to face him. "Mac… what are you talking about?"

Mac took another deep breath, and then looked him in the eyes, a pained expression on her face. "I… we…" she sighed. "I'm not on anything, and we haven't been using any contraceptives…" she murmured. "And this week falls within the time frame I'm most likely to conceive."

Harm stood there frowning slightly and staring blankly at her for several moments, just blinking occasionally. Finally, one side of his mouth curled up into a grin, and then his trademark smile lit up his features. Then he suddenly looked guilty, and bit the corner of his bottom lip. "Oh."

Mac had watched the play of emotions on his face, and wasn't sure he completely understood what she was saying. "Oh?"

"You're telling me that there's a strong possibility that we're going to be parents after this last day," he said, assuring her that he did, in fact, understand. He nodded, and then looked at her with an apologetic expression. "I'm sorry, Mac," he said. "It never even crossed my mind to ask… and that's a first for me. I never meant to just assume that you had it taken care of. The truth is, I never even thought about it, until just now."

Mac nodded. "I know," she assured him. "That's what happened with me, too. The question is, what do we do about it?"

"Ultimately, the decision is yours to make," Harm told her, taking both of her gloved hands into his. "But you know you can count on me to be there for you, if you are pregnant, no matter what you decide… and not just out of a sense of responsibility," he told her. "I meant it when I said I love you, Mac. Baby or no baby, I want us to be a couple, and we'll face whatever comes, together. No matter what, I'm here for you. Besides, we had a deal, remember? So what, if it happens a few years early?" He gave her his cocky grin.

Mac blinked rapidly, fighting back the tears in her eyes, as Harm pulled her close to him. She moved back enough to look up into his eyes. "Thank you."

Harm smiled down at her, and then kissed her deeply. "You're welcome," he said, and then nodded towards the fire. "That stuff is disgusting enough, better not burn it and make it worse."

Mac chuckled through her tears and kissed him again, before moving to stir the contents of the pot.

Harm stood watching her with a bemused expression, as she began dishing up the reconstituted meal. The mere possibility that Mac could now be carrying his child made him smile, as he tried to imagine what a child of theirs would look like. Shaking himself from his reverie, he refused to think about it. He'd been disappointed too many times in his life already; he couldn't even allow himself to get his hopes up.

**07:39 PST**

**Sierra Nevada Mountains**

**Near Echo Lake, CA**

Mac awoke and tightened her hold on Harm. They'd gone to bed almost immediately after eating the night before, more for the warmth it provided, than out of any real need of sleep. They had talked well into the night, first deliberating over what they wanted to do if she was pregnant, and then discussing what they wanted for them as a couple, even if she wasn't.

In both situations, Harm had made it clear that his ultimate goal was to marry her, and that at once thrilled, and terrified, her.

She felt Harm stir and looked up, to see him blinking the sleep from his eyes. "Hey," he smiled, when he saw she was awake. "What time is it?"

"07:42," she replied automatically. "We should see whether or not we can hike out of here today."

Harm was slightly disappointed, but knew she was right. They were on an assignment, and were technically breaking any number of rules, but he had enjoyed the last few days too much to really care. He was happier than he'd been in longer than he could remember.

"Yeah, you're right," he sighed. "I'll get a fire going, if you'll pack up our gear."

"Deal," Mac smiled, kissing him lightly. She pulled back to look into his eyes, and stifled a gasp at the love she saw shining in them. Leaning forward, her lips met his again and she deepened the kiss.

Harm was amazed at how much pleasure he took in simply kissing her. While he thoroughly enjoyed making love to her, it wasn't something he felt _had _to happen every time. He pulled away from her mouth and trailed kisses along her jaw line, down her throat and then back, before capturing her lips with his again.

Mac had wrapped her arms around him, one hand running through his hair, as she lifted her leg and put it over his hip, pushing herself as close to him as she could get. She moaned softly when she felt him thrust his hips forward slightly.

Harm again trailed kisses along her jaw line to her ear. "Mac… we can't… contraceptives, remember? I don't have anything with me."

Mac moved to lightly scrape her teeth along his earlobe. "I'm willing, if you are," she breathed.

Harm pulled back to look into her eyes, searching, and was relieved when he saw that she was sure of what she was saying. They gazed intensely at one another for several long moments, communicating silently, and Harm finally nodded slowly, smiling tenderly.

Pushing her onto her back, he blazed a trail of kisses down her neck to the valley between her breasts, cupping one in his hand and then suckling on the other one, before switching.

Mac arched into him, moaning in pleasure. "Oh, Harm…" she said softly.

Harm moved his kisses down her abdomen. He would lick a spot, blow gently on it, and then kiss it, before moving on. He did this until he reached the dark thatch of hair at the apex of her thighs, and then nuzzled her there, inhaling her musky scent.

Mac curled her hips up slightly, giving him better access to her, and gasped when she felt his tongue enter her, lightly licking at her clit. Several minutes of him licking and sucking went by and then he bit down gently, while inserting two fingers into the moist warmth of her body, and Mac lost all coherent thought as her world exploded.

Harm looked up to watch her face, enthralled by the play of emotions as she gasped out his name and panted heavily. He could feel her muscles contracting around his fingers, and it gave him intense satisfaction to know that he did this to her. He suckled gently on her clit, moving his fingers in and out of her slowly, until he felt her fall over the edge for a second time, and then he crawled up her body and quickly filled her, groaning softly as he felt her muscles contracting around his hardened shaft.

"My God, you're beautiful," he whispered in her ear, as he began to slowly move inside of her. "I've never known anyone so gorgeous."

Mac blinked away the tears in her eyes, as she pulled his mouth to hers in an intensely passionate kiss, thrusting her hips towards him to signal that she was ready for him to move.

Harm pulled out of her as far as he could go without completely breaking contact, and then pushed back into her gently. He gradually increased the pace, thrusting as deep as he could each time, until he knew he couldn't wait another moment. "Mac," he breathed sharply. "I can't… wait anymore…"

"Then don't," Mac breathlessly told him, wrapping both legs around his hips and arching up against him. "Oh, Harm! Yes! Don't stop!"

Two more deep, hard thrusts, and Harm fell into the oblivion, wrapping himself around her as he pushed into her as far as he could possibly go.

Mac felt him pulsing inside of her, felt the warmth of his seed filling her, and realized that she'd never felt as loved as she did in that moment.

As they clung tightly to one another, their breathing ragged and their hearts racing against each other, Harm kissed Mac tenderly at her temple, rolling them to their sides.

"I love you, Sarah," he said softly. "I will _always_ love you."

Mac pulled back enough to look into his eyes and saw the truth of his words, and all the walls she'd built up around her heart over the years collapsed. "I love you, too," she said, as the dam broke and, clinging to him tightly, she began to sob.

**08:18 PST**

**Sierra Nevada Mountains**

**Near Echo Lake, CA**

Harm held Mac close to him, confused. They had just shared the single most beautiful experience of his life, and Mac was now wrapped around him, sobbing against his neck. If she hadn't just told him she loved him too, he'd be panicking about now.

"Mac," he asked, "what's wrong? Did I hurt you?"

Mac shook her head in the negative, as she started to calm down somewhat.

"Are you all right?" he asked, still confused.

This time, she nodded in the affirmative, taking a deep breath.

"Then why are you crying?"

"I don't know!" she exclaimed, and began to sob again.

Harm frowned in puzzlement, wondering just how soon after a woman got pregnant that her hormones took over. He was pretty sure that, even if she'd conceived within the last two days, this reaction wasn't due to that. "Can I do anything?" he asked, tightening his hold just slightly, caressing her hair with one palm.

"You're doing it," she assured him softly, as she worked at pulling herself together.

Somewhat reassured by that, he closed his mouth and continued to just hold her, caressing her tenderly and kissing her softly every now and again.

Awhile later, Mac had finally pulled herself together, and she looked up at him, eyes shining, and gave him a tender smile. "Thank you," she whispered.

Harm raised his eyebrows. "For what?" he asked softly.

"For doing just the right thing," she said, and then kissed him. "For not pressing the issue, and just letting me cry it out."

Harm couldn't help but smile. He rarely did the right thing with women, and especially with Mac. "You're welcome," he told her. "Are you ready to tell me what that was all about?"

Mac licked her lips and sighed, shaking her head. "Not yet, but I promise I will when I feel like I'm ready, and can find the right words. Can you wait for me?"

"Forever," he promised, and then kissed her again. "I meant what I said, Mac; I love you."

Mac smiled, her eyes tearing up again slightly, and she sighed. "And I really do love you, too," she answered. Taking another deep breath, she sighed and then caressed his cheek. "We should get moving; try to get to the base camp before they send out a search party for _us_," she said regretfully. "We'd be in _so _much trouble if they caught us like this." Then she smiled. "But it would be completely worth it."

Harm returned her smile, and nodded. "Yes, it would." He kissed her tenderly, and then hugged her close, before gently pulling away from her and sitting up, pulling his clothing on. One of them had to start moving, or they never would.

Mac reluctantly sat up, shivering in the cold air, and began pulling on her own clothes.

When they were both completely dressed, Harm unzipped the door of the tent, and looked outside. It hadn't snowed anymore, but there was still quite a bit on the ground. Which meant a wet, difficult hike to the Marine base camp.

He thought briefly about retreating back into the tent and taking Mac back to bed, but dismissed that idea. Mac was right; they needed to get moving, or they'd be in a world of trouble.

"I'll get a fire started, so we can at least have some coffee before we head out," he told Mac.

Mac smiled at him, nodding. "I'll get our gear together."

Harm paused, watching her intently for a few minutes, and then he moved to take her hand, causing her to look up at him.

"Something wrong?" Mac asked, looking up at him.

Harm smiled tenderly. "No; just wanted to tell you I love you."

Mac smiled brightly, and then leaned forward to kiss him. "I love you. Now get moving, Sailor."

"Aye, aye, ma'am," he grinned, and then moved out of the tent and busied himself getting a small fire going, whistling 'Anchors Aweigh'.

Mac heard him and smiled, shaking her head as she began packing their gear.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Reviews are awesome, so send some my way~ and thank you to all who have reviewed so far!! This story is rated M for sexually explicit content; you have been warned! I know the area I'm writing about (I live twenty minutes west of NAS Fallon, and grew up traipsing about the Sierras) and my brother is a Marine, so I get a lot of my military info from him. Enjoy...

**13:45 PST**

**Sierra Nevada Mountains**

**Near Echo Lake, CA**

"Let's rest there," Harm said, nodding towards a large rock a few hundred yards ahead of them. It was out in the sun and the snow had melted off of it, so that it was now nearly completely dry.

Mac nodded, huffing slightly. The hike towards the Marine base camp had taken them steadily uphill, and hiking through the snow, which at times was up to three feet deep, was taxing all of their energy.

They hiked up to the rock and removed their packs, before sitting down and trying to catch their breath.

"You okay?" Harm asked.

Mac nodded and pulled out her canteen, taking a sip of water from it. "How much farther do you think it is?"

"At least another four miles," Harm said. "Hard to say for sure."

"We only have another three, three and a half hours at the most, of daylight," Mac pointed out.

Harm blew out a breath, and then nodded. He pulled his cell phone out of his fatigues, turned it on, and was surprised to find he had a signal. Flipping it open, he pushed the speed dial number for NAS Fallon, which he'd programmed in before they'd left.

"This is Commander Harmon Rabb, from JAG Corps," he told the person who answered. "I'm calling to check in with Admiral Milson."

Mac listened to his side of the conversation, idly wondering what was going through the Admiral's mind at that moment.

"Admiral, this is Commander Rabb… yes sir, Colonel Mackenzie and I got snowed in… no sir… we lost our radio when the Colonel fell into a pond that was partially frozen over… yes sir, she's fine... we're still about four miles or so out, but we're nearly out of daylight… yes sir, I understand… no sir, I don't see any reason why we can't do that… no, we haven't seen any sign of him... yes sir, we'll check in again when we get there; I don't know if my cell will get a signal again before then… yes sir… thank you sir... goodbye." Harm hung up the phone and looked at Mac with a rueful smile. "I think he's surprised we're still alive."

Mac returned his smile. "Are we in trouble?"

Harm shook his head. "Nah; he wants us to find a place to camp tonight, and hike the rest of the way in as soon as we can."

"They're not sending a helo for us?" she asked, surprised.

"Apparently there's another storm headed in for tonight and they're worried about the winds picking up again," he told her. "Which means we'd better find a place to make camp pretty quickly."

Mac nodded her head in agreement. "Let's get moving, then."

They hiked for another forty-five minutes, until they found a place that would make a good campsite. Working quickly, and efficiently, they got their camp set up, and even managed to find enough wood for a decent fire, without incident. When they were finished, Mac started boiling water and making a pot of coffee, while Harm went in search of more wood. He wanted to be sure they had enough for a few days, just in case it snowed enough overnight to keep them snowbound.

Mac had just taken the pot of reconstituted spaghetti from the fire, when Harm came back and dropped an armload of wood near the tent.

"Better set that aside for a few minutes," Harm told her, pulling the emergency kit from his pack. "I found our missing PFC."

Mac looked up sharply, her eyes widening at the sad look on his face. "Oh, no," she said, shaking her head sadly. She set the pot on a nearby rock, and then stood and followed him away from the camp.

They walked for about fifteen minutes and Harm stopped, gently placing a hand on Mac's arm, before nodding towards a frozen pond.

Mac looked at him, briefly nodding, before they made their way carefully towards the edge of the pond, and Mac inhaled sharply when she saw the face of PFC Dempsey against the ice, the look of panic and terror forever etched into his youthful features.

"I was _really_ hoping he was just UA," she said softly.

Harm nodded his agreement. "Yeah," he sighed. "We'd better find a way to mark this spot, so we can retrieve his body later."

Mac looked around her, taking note of the landmarks, while Harm found a large, thick tree branch. He carried it over to the very edge of the pond and forced it through the ice, into the water. Waiting for a moment to be sure it was going to stay upright, he pulled an orange flag out of the emergency kit and tied it around the top of the branch.

Mac pulled the GPS out of her fatigues and found their coordinates, saving them in the memory.

"That's all we can do for now," Harm said, sighing. He shook his head again and turned away. "Damn it," he muttered.

Mac placed her palm on his shoulder; she knew just how he felt. "At least we found him," she said. "His family will get some kind of closure."

Harm nodded and took her hand, leading her back towards their camp. The wind had picked up considerably, and it was beginning to cloud up.

Mac reheated their dinner and they ate in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. After they'd eaten and had some coffee, they cleaned up and repacked what they could, stowing everything inside the tent, even though it was crowded.

The wind was blowing harder now, and it was icy cold, so they doused the fire with snow and climbed into the tent. Stripping down to their thermal underwear, they climbed into their combined bedrolls, and Harm pulled the thermal blankets over them, before wrapping his arms securely around her.

"I love you, Mac," he whispered softly against her hair, and then kissed the top of her head.

"I love you, too, Harm," she replied, just as quietly.

They lay there for a long time, listening to the sound of the wind blowing through the tops of the pine trees, just holding each other close.

**23:21 PST**

**Sierra Nevada Mountains**

**Near Echo Lake, CA**

Mac opened her eyes and listened intently, unsure as to what had awakened her. The wind was still blowing heavily outside, but she was sure that wasn't what it was. Snuggling back down closer to Harm, she closed her eyes, but opened them again when she heard him moan softly.

"Harm?" she whispered.

"No," he said, his head moving from one side to the other.

Mac moved so that she was slightly above him. "Harm?"

"Mac… no… Mac!" Harm startled awake, his eyes snapping open, and he felt gentle hands pressing him back down.

"Shh…" Mac said quietly. "It's okay; I'm right here."

"Mac," Harm said, pulling her close to him in a strong embrace. "Thank God."

"Bad dream?" she asked, kissing his chin tenderly.

Harm nodded, inhaling her scent, shuddering at the memory.

"Want to talk about it?"

"I was more or less dreaming about when you fell into that pond, but with a completely different outcome," he told her. "I heard you scream and ran to find you, but when I did…" he trailed off and shuddered again. "It wasn't PFC Dempsey's face I saw frozen under the ice," he said softly.

Mac wrapped her arms tighter around him. "Oh, Harm," she whispered. "I'm so sorry."

"It wasn't your fault, Mac," he said. "I'm just so relieved that you're okay."

Mac leaned up and kissed him tenderly. "Because of you," she said. "You saved my life. Thank you for that."

Harm just hugged her, kissing her again. "I didn't mean to wake you."

"It's okay," she assured him.

They lay there silently for a long time, content to just be in one another's company. Every now and then, Harm would kiss Mac's forehead, or she would kiss him on the chin. They listened to the wind howling outside, and wondered what the weather was like.

Mac kissed him again, and then giggled.

"What?" Harm asked.

"You need a shave, flyboy," she said.

Harm blinked, and then smiled. "Yeah, I imagine I do. Kind of hard to shave out here in the wilderness."

"True," Mac agreed, and then she sighed. "This is actually kind of nice… except for the freezing cold part, that is."

Harm chuckled, kissing her forehead again. "It is, isn't it?"

"I'm kind of hesitant to go back," she said. "These last few days have been close to perfect for the two of us."

"Mmm, yes they have," he murmured.

"I love you," she told him, kissing his cheek again.

"I love you, too," he replied, turning so that he was facing her. He pulled her close to him and kissed her deeply. When he moved away, he smiled down at her, though they couldn't see each other in the dark. "When we get out of this, would you go out to dinner with me?"Mac's eyes widened, and she grinned. "Harmon Rabb, are you asking me on an actual _date_?" she ribbed.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I am," he said, also grinning. "What do you say?"

"I would love to," she told him, turning serious.

"Good," Harm said. "I was thinking I could take you out somewhere nice, someplace that has something that both of us could enjoy," he whispered, pulling her close. "Someplace that has some kind of rich, decadent chocolate dessert."

"Mmm," Mac murmured. "Keep talking…"

Harm grinned. "Then we could go out dancing; a club, maybe," he said, still keeping his tone soft. "After that, we could head back to your place to have some coffee, and just talk for awhile… and see where that leads us."

When Mac didn't reply to this, he listened quietly, and smiled broadly when he found that she was sound asleep. Snuggling back down with her, he closed his own eyes and drifted back to dreamland.

**07:44 PST**

**Sierra Nevada Mountains**

**Near Echo Lake, CA**

Mac opened one eye and closed it again, sighing. She knew that they should get up and see what kind of weather they were facing that day, but she was warm, and extremely comfortable, and the idea of another day trekking through slushy snow didn't really appeal to her. She snuggled closer to Harm, and closed her eyes again. A few more minutes couldn't hurt.

When she woke up again, Harm was no longer lying beside her, and her internal clock told her that a full hour and forty-two minutes had passed since she'd fallen back to sleep. Blinking, she moved to sit up, but stopped when the zipper on the tent opened and Harm stepped in, shaking snow from his head, and re-zipping the door shut.

Harm turned and saw her, and gave her a tight smile. "It's pretty bad out there; we're not going anywhere today," he said.

Mac blinked at him. "How bad is it?"

"A good foot or two of fresh snow, and it's still coming down," he replied. "The wind isn't blowing as hard, but it is _cold_… the portable thermometer says it's 21 degrees out there. With the wind-chill, I'd guess closer to 10 or 15."

Mac involuntarily shivered and snuggled further under the blankets. "I don't suppose you managed to get a fire started?"

Harm shook his head and rummaged through the packs. "No, but fortunately for us, you brought enough food for a small regiment," he grinned. "It may not be the healthiest stuff on earth, but it'll keep us alive until we can hike out, or help comes."

"And if we have to, we can put some snow into our canteens to melt, and we'll have plenty of water," she nodded. "Now we just have to find a way to occupy ourselves while we wait it out."

Harm gave her a saucy grin, as he tossed a granola bar in her direction.

It hit the blanket beside her and she grabbed it, winking at him before she ate it.

Harm took a drink from his canteen and then gave it to Mac. "We should probably stay dressed during the day," he told her. "If there's a break in the weather, they may send a chopper out for us, and we'd better be ready when they get here. They have the info on our GPS, so they can find us pretty easily with that."

Mac nodded in agreement. "Okay, then, I brought some cards and some dice. Want to play a game?"

Harm bit his top lip, as he eyed her. Even in tight thermal underwear, she was sexy as hell. "_After_ you get dressed," he agreed. "I'd be too distracted with you dressed like that."

Mac blushed slightly and then began pulling her clothes on. Once she was appropriately attired, they sat on top of their bedroll and Mac taught Harm how to play Rummy, while they talked, sharing things about themselves and their lives that they'd never shared with anyone else. As Mac listened to the details of his trip to Vietnam when he was sixteen, she felt a strange sort of peace settle over her.

Here, trapped on a mountain in a snowstorm, she and Harm were finally, _really_ getting to know one another… and it was perfect.

**08:13 PST**

**Sierra Nevada Mountains**

**Near Echo Lake, CA**

**Three days later**

The weather still hadn't cleared up and Harm was beginning to worry about how long they may be stuck out in the wilderness, as he waited for Mac to return from her 'potty run'. He shook his head at the thought of how horrible it was to have to go to the bathroom outside when it was freezing cold.

Mac came back into the tent, shivering, and closed the zipper, just before she sneezed. She turned around and looked at Harm with watery-eyes, and sneezed again.

Harm frowned and moved to put his hand on her forehead. She was pretty warm, but not dangerously so. "Mac, I think you're getting worse."

Mac had been showing signs of getting sick for two days, but so far had not been running a fever, even though she was feeling pretty miserable. She gave him a look that clearly said 'duh', and nodded, before she turned away from him and began coughing. Taking a shaky breath, she turned back around and looked at him. "I really hope they send someone for us soon."

Harm nodded in agreement as he pulled her to him, and then sat down on the floor of the tent with Mac on his lap, wrapping the thermal blankets around them.

They talked quietly for a couple of hours and when Harm finally kissed her forehead, he frowned at how warm she felt. "I think your fever has gone up," he told her, carefully moving her so that she was lying down on their bedrolls, before grabbing the first-aid kit. Finding a digital thermometer, he stuck it into her mouth and waited for it to beep. "It has definitely gone up," he said. "It's over a hundred and two now." Digging through the first-aid kit again, he found a bottle of aspirin and opened it, giving her two of them, and her canteen.

Mac took the aspirin from him, grimacing when she swallowed, and then nodded to him in thanks.

"Taste bad?" he asked her. He'd been filling their canteens with snow, and then keeping them in the tent so that it would melt down to give them water.

"No," Mac said, her voice sounding a bit gravelly. "My throat hurts."

"Why don't you try to sleep for awhile?" he suggested. "Rest is the best medicine there is when you're sick."

Mac smiled weakly, coughing some more, but nodded. She removed everything but her long underwear and climbed under the blankets, shivering slightly.

Harm settled down beside her, still fully clothed and on top of the blankets, allowing her to use his shoulder for a pillow. He lightly brushed the hair away from her face, kissing the top of her head. "Sleep for awhile, Mac," he said.

Mac nodded and in no time at all, she was sound asleep.

**11:41 PST**

**Sierra Nevada Mountains**

**Near Echo Lake, CA**

**Three days later**

Harm was beginning to become frantic on the inside, though he maintained his outward calm for Mac's sake. It had been three more days, and the snow had stopped the day before, but there was still no sign of a rescue crew, and Mac was getting worse everyday.

Last night her fever had spiked to a hundred and four point two, and Harm had stripped her down to her bra and panties, before taking her out of the tent and rubbing her down with snow for five minutes. He felt terrible doing it, as she shivered and cried silently because it was hurting, but knew it had to be done.

Then he'd carried her back into the tent, drying her with a t-shirt, before putting her back into the bedrolls and covering her with a single blanket. Then he'd given her some more aspirin, and held her until she went back to sleep.

Her fever was back up to over a hundred and two again, and Harm knew that they needed help, and they needed it now. Kneeling beside her, he kissed her forehead as he handed her two more aspirin and the canteen. As soon as she'd taken them and drank as much water as she could handle, Harm covered her back up.

"I'm going to hike a little way from the camp to see if I can get a signal on my cell phone," he told her.

Mac's eyes grew wide with fear and she shook her head. "Harm," she rasped out, "what if something happens to you? We need to stay together."

"Mac, you're getting worse," he told her. "The weather has cleared, and I can get on top of the snow from the edge of the trees. I'll try the cell phone when I get out and if it doesn't work, I'll hike a short distance back the way we came, and try again. We've got to get you out of here."

Mac had started to cry at his words, but knew that he was right. They needed to get out of there before the really heavy snows hit, or they'd be stranded all winter. Even though Harm had been carefully rationing out the food they had, and Mac had hardly had an appetite anyway, their meager food supply was nearly gone. There was no way they could survive the entire winter without food. She nodded her head, and tried to control her tears. She hated being sick, because she couldn't control her emotions as well as when she was healthy.

"Be careful," she said hoarsely. "I can't lose you."

Harm leaned down and kissed her tenderly. "You won't," he promised. "I'll be back before dark."

Hugging him tightly, she nodded again, kissed him, and let him go. "Hurry back."

Harm nodded, unzipped the door of the tent and stepped out, and then zipped it back up again.

Mac could hear the crunching of his footsteps in the little snow that was beneath the trees where their tent was, and then he was gone. Taking in an unsteady breath, she turned onto her side and allowed herself to really cry.

**15:29 PST**

**Sierra Nevada Mountains**

**Near Echo Lake, CA**

Mac startled when she heard the zipper to the tent open, and waited with bated breath for Harm to step through. When he did, she sighed in relief, holding her arms out to him the minute he had the zipper closed up again.

"Thank God you're safe," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "Did you get a signal?" she asked, before she started coughing again.

Harm was beside her in a moment and pulled her into his arms, nodding. "Yeah, but it was sketchy at best," he replied. "I don't know for sure they understood, or even that they got any of what I was telling them."

Mac nodded against his chest. "It's okay," she assured him. "As long as you're here with me, everything will be fine."

Harm kissed her forehead, nodding, and frowned. "Mac, you're burning up again," he said. "Did you take anymore aspirin?"

"I'm trying to save them," she said. "We're almost out, and I don't know how long it's going to be before help arrives."

Harm sighed and then let go of her. "Wait right here," he told her. "I'll be back in a minute."

"Where are you going?" she asked him, just before she started coughing, yet again.

"To get something to cool you down," he said, after her coughing fit was finished.

Mac frowned slightly, but nodded, pulling the blankets back up around her.

Harm grabbed the pot they had used to cook in before the snow had started, and went back outside, filling it up with snow. He carried it back into the tent and then got a lighter out of the supply kit, holding the flame under the bottom of the pot for several minutes, until the snow had melted enough for him to work with.

Grabbing a bandana out of his pack, he put it into the pot, getting it as wet as he could and wringing it out some, before placing it on Mac's head.

"It's cold," she rasped, shivering.

"I know, but it'll help bring your fever down," he said. "Or at least, keep it under some control. The alternative is to strip you down and take you outside again."

Mac shivered and shook her head; she didn't want to go through that again.

"Hang in there, Mac," Harm said, kissing her forehead tenderly. "We'll get out of here."

Mac only nodded, before drifting off to sleep again.

Admiral AJ Chegwidden was furious, and as he looked into the eyes of Admiral Milson, old friend or not, he made sure that his anger radiated off of him in waves.

"I want a rescue crew assembled, and out there to pick them up, immediately!" he said. "You heard Rabb… Mackenzie is extremely ill, and needs medical attention. If anything happens to either of them, I'm holding you personally responsible. You should have had them airlifted out the day before the storm hit!"

"I've already told you that I didn't realize that the storm was going to be as severe as it turned out to be, AJ," Milson said. "If I had known, I would have gotten them out right away."

"Are the Marines still up there, too?" AJ asked.

Admiral Milson looked uncomfortable. "No; their commanding officer pulled them out after the second day of snow."

Admiral Chegwidden looked at him incredulously. "So my people are up there all alone?"

"I'm afraid so," Milson replied. "Look, there is no way we are going to get a helicopter in there this late in the day. It's going to be dark in just over an hour, and it's too dangerous to send a chopper into the forest at night. The best we can do, is to plan a rescue for first thing in the morning."

AJ got right up in Milson's face. "See that you do just that, or there will be hell to pay."


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: This story is rated M for sexually explicit content; do not read if you are underage, or if such material offends you. St. Mary's Regional Medical Center, in Reno, NV, is a hospital that I am intimately familiar with. I could walk you through it with my eyes closed! This part of the story is a tribute, and a thank you, to all of the wonderful staff there. The names are the same, but the faces have been changed! ;-) They've given my husband back to me four times now, and for that I am eternally grateful. Also, THANK YOU to those of you that have reviewed!! It really means a lot to me, and keeps me motivated! This story is updating quickly right now, because I have a lot of it done. Once I catch up to where I'm in the process, it probably won't update as fast. :-( Enough chit chat! Enjoy...

**08:42 PST**

**Sierra Nevada Mountains**

**Near Echo Lake, CA**

Harm lifted his head and frowned, not sure he was hearing what he thought he was hearing. When he realized that it really was a helicopter, he carefully moved out from under Mac and left the tent, climbing to the top of the snowdrift from the edge of the trees the tent was under. He saw the chopper landing a few hundred yards away in a clear area, and waved to them, sighing in relief when he saw the rescue crew jump out of the helo and start running towards him.

"Where's Colonel Mackenzie?" the first corpsman asked, when he was near enough.

"Still in the tent," Harm told him. "She's been running a high fever, and has a severe cough."

"How long has that been going on?" the corpsman asked, as three more corpsmen joined them.

"Four or five days, at least," he told him, leading them to the edge of the trees. "Let me go in first; she's been disoriented by the fever, and I don't want you to frighten her."

He disappeared over the edge of the snow bank, and the corpsmen looked at one another with knowing looks, before following him in.

"Mac?" Harm called, kneeling down beside her in the tent. "Mac? Wake up; the rescue crew is here." He gave her shoulder a gentle shake, and frowned when she only moaned softly and turned her head slightly. "Mac?"

One of the rescue crew peeked in. The tent would be too crowded with the three of them in there. "Colonel Mackenzie? Can you hear me?" he called, reaching in as far as he could to touch her forehead. "Christ! She's burning up!"

Harm nodded. "Let's get her out to the helo," he said, standing as much as the tent allowed. He maneuvered her to the door, and then handed her out to the corpsman.

Easily lifting her into his arms, the corpsman carried her to the spot where they had a back board waiting, and carefully laid her down on it.

While two of the corpsman climbed to the top of the drift, the other two began working on Mac. Harm ran back to the tent and gathered both of their packs, and the supply kit, and then hurried back to where the corpsmen had just strapped Mac onto the board and were handing her up to the corpsmen above them.

As soon as they were all on board the helicopter, they took to the sky, and Harm breathed a sigh of relief. He knew Mac wasn't out of danger yet, but at least she had a fighting chance now.

They air-lifted them to St. Mary's Regional Medical Center in Reno, and Harm stayed by Mac's side as they rushed her into the emergency room.

"What have we got here?" an emergency room doctor asked the crew as they brought her in and transferred her over to the gurney.

"Marine Corps Lt. Colonel, late twenties to early thirties, possibly suffering from hypothermia," one of the corpsman rattled off. "She's been running a fever and has had a cough for four or five days. They were trapped up in a tent in the Sierra's for over a week," he said.

"They?" the doctor asked and looked up, seeing Harm. "You need to get checked out, too," he said.

Harm shook his head. "I'm fine; I'm staying with Mac."

"Commander, you really need to get checked out," the corpsman said. "Just to be on the safe side."

"Fine, but I'm coming back here the minute they're done, and I want immediate updates if her condition changes at all," he said.

A nurse led him to another exam room, and the doctor looked at the corpsman. "I'm guessing they're close?" he asked.

"You saw the way he looked at her, Doc," the corpsman replied. "What do you think?"

The doctor smiled slightly, nodding, and put his stethoscope in his ears, listening to her lungs and heart. Frowning, he looked up. "I need a chest x-ray in here, immediately!" he said. "Get an oxygen mask on her and give her three liters of O2. Also start her on two grams of vancomycin; 250 units over the course of 90 minutes," he said. "Run a full blood panel, and cultures, and let me know the minute the chest x-ray results are back."

The corpsman put the oxygen on her, while a nurse began stripping her down to her underwear, and then tossed a gown over her. She placed the EKG leads on her, as well as the oxygen saturation monitor and the blood pressure cuff, and then hooked everything up to the machine above the bed.

The corpsman nodded to the nurse, and then stepped out of the room to rejoin his companions.

"Admiral's Chegwidden and Milson are on their way," one of the others told him. "We're done here, so we need to clear the helo-pad in case Care Flight needs to land."

"Roger that," he said, and they left the emergency room.

A few doors down, Harm sat waiting for the nurse to finish with him.

"Your vital signs are all normal, how do you feel?" he asked.

"Fine," Harm said impatiently. "I told you, I'm fine. I need to get back to Colonel Mackenzie."

"Let me go speak to the doctor and I'll be right back," the nurse said.

Harm sighed in exasperation the minute the nurse was gone, and shook his head. A moment later, the doctor entered the exam room.

"I understand you seem to be doing much better than your partner out there," he said. "I'm Dr. Scott, by the way."

"Yes, sir," Harm said, nodding. "Mac fell into a partially-frozen pond our first night out, and she started getting sick a few days ago. I've been giving her aspirin for the fever, and using the snow to keep it down when it got too high, but other than that, there wasn't a lot I could do for her."

"How did you keep her from dying from hypothermia after she fell into the pond?" Dr. Scott asked, surprised.

"I, uh, stripped us both down to our underwear and wrapped us in our bed rolls and thermal blankets," he replied.

"You saved her life doing that," Dr. Scott told him, as he listened to his heart and lungs, and then looked at him. "Well, you don't seem to be any worse for wear, so I'll let you get back to your partner. I have to tell you, she's a very sick young woman… I'm pretty sure she has pneumonia, at the very least. I've ordered a chest x-ray to see if we can't tell from that."

"Um, you need to know that there's a chance that she might be pregnant," Harm said, looking a bit sheepish. "Before you do the x-ray."

The doctor gave him a small smile and nodded, but didn't comment. 'Well, that explains a lot,' he thought to himself. "I'll let them know; thank you. You can go ahead and rejoin her now, if you'd like." Then he turned and left.

"Thank you," Harm said to his retreating form, re-buttoning his shirt and grabbing his and Mac's packs, before leaving the exam room to return to Mac's.

**13:18 PST**

**St. Mary's Regional Medical Center**

**Reno, NV**

Harm was still sitting by Mac's side, lightly dozing off and on, when Admiral Chegwidden, and Admiral Milson, entered Mac's exam room.

Snapping to immediate attention, he swallowed hard. "Sirs!" he said.

"As you were," Chegwidden said, giving him the once-over. "How are you feeling, Commander?"

"Fine, sir," he said.

"They tell me that you barely consented to a check-up, and that you haven't left Colonel Mackenzie's side since they gave you the all-clear. Have you eaten anything yet?" he asked.

"No, sir," he replied. "I didn't want to leave Mac's~ Colonel Mackenzie's~ side, in case she wakes up in an unfamiliar place."

"I'll stay with the Colonel for awhile," Chegwidden told him, holding a twenty dollar bill out towards him. "There's a coffee shop near the main entrance, and a cafeteria down the hall from there; go get you a hot meal."

"Sir, I couldn't~" Harm began, not taking the money offered.

"That's an order, Commander," AJ cut him off, in a tone that brooked no argument.

Harm snapped to again, and took the money. "Yes, sir! Thank you, sir!" he said. He paused for a moment to look at Mac, and then nodded to the Admirals, and went to find the coffee shop.

"He's in love with her," Admiral Milson said, watching the door Harm had just disappeared through. "You're allowing this?"

AJ smiled and looked at Admiral Milson. "It's been my experience that one has very little control over love."

"Does she feel the same way about him?" he asked.

"I believe so," AJ said.

"Why haven't you transferred one of them?" Admiral Milson asked, surprised.

"For starters, because they have never been anything but professional around me, and I've never been given any indication that there is anything actually going on between them; secondly, the two of them are the best damned lawyers my office has, and I'm not about to give either of them up unless I absolutely have to," he answered.

Admiral Milson looked at him and then smiled. "You _want_ them to get together," he said, and chuckled. "AJ, you big softy."

"Love is hard enough to find these days, and that's especially true in the military," AJ said softly. "It's one of the reasons I pushed so hard for him to be promoted to Commander, after she was promoted to Lt. Colonel ahead of him. As long as they aren't breaking any rules, I'm claiming ignorance." He gave his old friend a penetrating look. "I would hope that you'd do the same."

Admiral Milson nodded thoughtfully. "The very fact that they are still alive after what they went through, speaks volumes to me. Like you said, as long as they aren't breaking any rules, I don't know anything," he said, smiling.

AJ shook his hand, and they each took a seat near Colonel Mackenzie's bed, awaiting Harm's return.

Twenty minutes had passed, when alarms started blaring and a group of nurses rushed in, ushering them out of the exam room.

"Rapid Response team to the ER, room 25, adult female; Rapid Response team to the ER, room 25, adult female," blared over the hospital speakers several times.

**14:02 PST**

**St. Mary's Regional Medical Center**

**Reno, NV**

As more personnel rushed into Mac's room, and one nurse pushed a crash-cart into the room, Chegwidden and Milson watched with worried frowns.

AJ looked down the hall and saw Harm hurrying towards them, a look of near-panic on his features, and moved to head him off.

"What's going on, sir?" Harm asked his commanding officer. "What's wrong with Mac?"

"I don't know, son, but you need to stay out of the way and let the medical personnel do their jobs," he said. "That's the best way to help her right now."

Harm took a deep breath, nodding, as he watched the flurry of activity around Mac.

"Her airway is blocked, she can't breathe; we need to intubate her, now!" Someone said loudly.

"BP is 85 over 40 and falling," Another voice said.

"I need suction here!" Someone else called out. "She's drowning in all this fluid!"

"I've got it… I've got it!" Another voice said, and a second later the alarms were quiet, and everyone stood perfectly still.

There was a soft hiss, and then the sounds of a ventilator could be heard, along with the steady beeping of the EKG.

"That's done it," a male voice said. "She's stabilizing; all non-essential personnel clear out."

People started filing out of the room, and after a few moments, there was only a doctor and two nurses in the room. Several minutes later, a woman carrying a large envelope marked 'x-ray films' entered Mac's room, and they could hear muffled voices as she and the doctor conferred. Then she left and there was mostly silence, except for the steady sounds of the machines, once again.

After what seemed an eternity to Harm, Dr. Scott emerged from Mac's room and looked at the three men waiting outside. "I don't suppose you're family?" he asked.

AJ handed him the envelope he'd had in his inside pocket, and nodded towards Harm. "This is the paperwork you need, signed by Colonel Mackenzie, that names Commander Rabb here as her Medical Power of Attorney," he said. "It also contains her living will, and names Commander Rabb as next of kin."

Dr. Scott opened it, looked it over quickly, and then nodded. "I'll give this to admitting to make a copy for her records," he said. "They'll make sure you get it back."

"Doctor, what happened?" Harm asked, infinitely relieved that the Admiral had the foresight to bring the Power of Attorney documents from their personnel files with him.

"It's as I feared; she definitely has pneumonia," he told them. "It's one of the worst cases I've seen in some time. We had to put her on a ventilator to help her breathe. There's simply too much fluid in her lungs for her to be able to do it on her own at this point. We managed to suction some of it out, and I've already started her on several medications to combat it. Vancomycin, and cefazolin, are the antibiotics we're going to give her… do you know if she has any drug or food allergies?" he asked Harm.

"No, none that I'm aware of," he replied.

Dr. Scott nodded. "Good. I'm also giving her guaifenesin to help dry up the fluid in her lungs, and we've given her diazepam to keep her sedated."

"Why does she need to be sedated?" AJ asked.

"The ventilator tube is uncomfortable and, in cases like Colonel Mackenzie's, often painful, so we keep the patient sedated to keep them comfortable, as well as to keep them from fighting the ventilator tube," Dr. Scott told them. "I want to keep her sedated for at least forty-eight hours, to give the medications a chance to work, and then we'll let her wake up and see how she's tolerating both the medications, and the vent-tube. If we think she can breathe on her own, we'll remove it at that time. We're going to move her up to the Critical Care Unit on the fifth floor; you'll have to wait in the waiting room, and once she's settled, they'll come out and get you."

"Doctor, may I speak to you privately?" Harm asked, glancing once at AJ.

"Of course," Dr. Scott said, leading him back into Mac's room and closing the glass door. "Is this sufficient?"

Harm nodded. "Yes, thank you," he replied. "I already told you that there's a chance that Mac could be pregnant. No one else knows about it, and we'd both like to keep it that way for as long as possible."

Dr. Scott nodded his understanding. "All right."

"If she is pregnant, how will all of this affect the baby?" Harm asked.

"How far along would she be?" Dr. Scott asked.

"Um, seven, maybe ten days, tops," Harm answered.

Dr. Scott nodded. "Well, it will be several weeks before we'll be able to tell one way or the other," he told Harm. "I've seen mother's that have health issues in the very early stages of their pregnancy have perfectly healthy children, and others that have children with severe problems. I am keeping in mind the possibility that she may be pregnant when choosing my course of treatment, but I have to be honest with you: saving Colonel Mackenzie takes precedence over any possibility of pregnancy."

Harm nodded his understanding. "I agree with that, at least; Mac comes first. I appreciate your candor, Doctor. Thank you."

"You're welcome. Remember, son, a mother's body is designed to shelter and protect her unborn child, often to the detriment of the mother," Dr. Scott told him. "If she is pregnant, nature will do everything it can to protect the child."

Harm smiled tightly, nodding. "Thank you, again," he said, shaking the doctor's hand.

Dr. Scott nodded, shaking Harm's hand, and then opened the door and motioned to the Admirals that they could come into the room. "I have to be going now; they'll move Colonel Mackenzie upstairs to the Critical Care Unit as soon as they can."

Again everyone thanked him, and then he was gone.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: This story is rated M for explicit sexual content; you know the drill. All mistakes are mine, even if the characters from JAG are not. :-( Thank you to everyone that has submitted feedback; I really, really appreciate it! Please read the Author's Notes at the beginning of previous chapters for explanations. Enjoy...

**17:44 PST**

**St. Mary's Regional Medical Center**

**Reno, NV**

Harm glanced at his watch again, and shook his head. It had been over an hour and a half since they'd taken Mac into the Critical Care Unit, and he was getting anxious. He moved to the call button on the wall, but paused before he pushed it when he heard Admiral Chegwidden speaking to him.

"Touch that call button again, Commander, and I'll send you back to Washington on the next flight," he said, without looking up from the paper he was reading. "They'll come and get us as soon as she's settled."

Admiral Milson held his magazine up higher, to hide his smile.

Harm was about to protest, but thought better of it, and resumed his seat in the recliner near the large window, staring blankly at the television.

Eight more minutes passed, and a nurse finally came out into the waiting area. "I'm looking for the family of Sarah Mackenzie?" she asked.

Harm jumped out of the recliner, nearly knocking it over. "Yes? How is she?" he asked.

"I'm Marilyn," she introduced herself. "I'll be Sarah's nurse until the night shift takes over." She looked over her glasses at Admirals Chegwidden and Milson, and then at Harm. "Do they have clearance to hear about her condition?"

Harm nodded. "Yes," he said, quickly introducing the two men, and himself, to the nurse.

"Well, Sarah is stabilized right now," she told them. "We have her on the ventilator, and she's receiving several different antibiotics intravenously," she said. "We're giving her cefazolin every twelve hours, and ampicillin every four hours. She'll also get vancomycin once every other day. In addition, she's got a constant IV drip of saline to keep her hydrated, and we're still giving her acetaminophen for the fever and pain. She's getting guaifenesin through her IV to dry out the fluid in her lungs, and diazepam to keep her sedated. She's a very sick girl," she told them, "but she's got a very good chance of coming out of this with little to no after-effects."

"How long do you anticipate that she'll be sedated and on the ventilator?" AJ asked.

"At least a day or two," she said. "We need to dry out her lungs enough for her to be able to breathe, first."

"Can I see her?" Harm asked.

Marilyn smiled at him, nodding. "Since you've been named as next of kin, you have unlimited access to her… though we don't allow visitors between 6:30 and 8:00, both am and pm, for shift change." She looked at the two Admirals. "Other than that, visiting hours are 8:00 am to 6:30 pm, and 8:00 pm to 10:00 pm." She glanced at her watch. "It's almost shift change, but since you've been waiting for so long, I'm going to make an exception and allow you to see her briefly."

"AJ, you and Commander Rabb go ahead," Admiral Milson said. "I'll wait here for you, and we can head back to Fallon afterwards."

"Thanks, Bill," AJ said. "I won't be long."

Harm and AJ followed Marilyn back into the Critical Care Unit, into the small room. Harm swallowed hard when he saw how small and frail she looked in the large bed, hooked up to all of the wires, tubes, and machines. Taking her hand, he leaned forward and kissed her forehead, and then looked up at the Admiral, who had a similarly distressed frown on his face.

"You can talk to her," Marilyn assured them. "We believe that patients in comas~ induced or not~ are aware of what's going on around them." She noted the readings from the monitor above the bed onto a piece of paper on a clipboard, checked to make sure that the lines and tubes were okay, and then quietly left the room, sliding the glass door shut most of the way.

AJ moved to the opposite side of the bed from where Harm was standing and took Mac's other hand in his. "We're all pulling for you, Mac," he told her. "You get better soon, and I'll be back tomorrow to check in on you." Giving her hand a gentle squeeze, he nodded to Harm. "Commander," he said. "Get some rest tonight… that's an order."

Harm swallowed, nodding his head. "Yes, sir."

AJ nodded curtly, and then silently left the room.

**19:22 PST**

**St. Mary's Regional Medical Center**

**Reno, NV**

Marilyn slid the glass door open enough so that she could poke her head around the privacy curtain, and smiled softly at the sight of Harm hunched over in one of the chairs, sound asleep. Even in sleep, his hand held firmly onto Mac's. Moving over to him, she gently shook him awake.

Harm stirred, rubbing at his sore neck with the hand that wasn't holding onto Mac, and then looked at Marilyn. "Sorry," he said. "I must have dozed off."

"It's okay," she said. "But you need to go get some sleep; some _real _sleep. You won't be any good to Sarah if you end up sick from not eating or sleeping properly."

"I really don't feel like trying to find a ride back to Fallon tonight," he said. "I guess I can sleep in one of the recliners out in the waiting room."

Marilyn shook her head. "Come with me," she ordered.

Harm frowned slightly, but stood. He stopped long enough to give Mac a gentle kiss on the lips. "I love you," he said softly. "I'll be back later, okay? You keep fighting, Marine."

Marilyn smiled and then jerked her head to indicate that Harm should follow her. Once they were out of Mac's room, she looked him over. "Circus Circus, across the street, has discounts available for family members of patients," she told him. "Assuming you can afford to stay?"

Harm nodded, surprised. "Yeah… I can do that."

Marilyn picked up the telephone and dialed the number for the hotel's front desk. She spoke briefly with the person that answered, writing down some information as she did, and then hung up the phone and handed Harm the slip of paper she'd been writing on. "Okay, take this over to the front desk and they'll get you checked in," she told him. "There are three or four casinos that connect together, and they all have gift shops and restaurants," she told him. "If you don't want to hang around the casinos, there are plenty of places to eat and shop nearby."

Harm smiled at her. "Thank you; for everything."

Marilyn returned his smile, nodding, as she motioned to a man to come over. "This is Jerry… he'll be Sarah's nurse tonight. Jerry, this is Harm."

"Nice to meet you," Jerry said, shaking Harm's hand. "Don't hesitate to call if you want to check in on her."

"Harm and Sarah are from out of town," Marilyn told him. "Harm will be staying across the street at Circus."

Jerry nodded. "In that case, feel free to call if you need directions or information about the area. Most people stay away from the casinos unless they are specifically here for them. Anything you need to buy, you can get much cheaper if you get away from downtown a ways."

"Thanks," Harm said, nodding. "I think I'm going to head over and check in, maybe get a shower and a couple of hours of sleep; I'll be back later on. Let me give you my cell phone number, in case you need to reach me."

Jerry dutifully wrote down the cell number, before nodding to Harm. "I promise I'll take good care of her for you."

Harm nodded, moving to look into Mac's room once more. "I appreciate that," he said to the man beside him. "I can't lose her; I love her more than anything."

Jerry gave him a tight, sympathetic smile, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Go get some rest; we'll call you if anything comes up."

Harm nodded, thanked Jerry and Marilyn, and then headed out of the hospital.

**20:45 PST**

**Circus Circus Hotel Casino**

**Reno, NV**

Harm stepped out of the bathroom, one towel wrapped around his waist and using the other to dry his hair, debating on whether or not to call his parents. He sat on the side of the bed, staring at the cell phone that was still plugged in to the charger.

He picked up the phone and pushed the speed dial number for his parents' home in La Jolla, waiting for someone to answer. He didn't have to wait long.

"Hello?" Frank's voice came over the line.

"Frank? It's Harm," he said.

"Harm… good to hear your voice, son," Frank said. "How are you?"

"I'm… okay," he replied, though it didn't sound convincing to even his own ears.

"What's wrong?" Frank asked.

Harm could hear Frank telling his mother that he was on the phone, just before the line clicked and he heard her voice.

"Harmon, darling, how are you?" she asked, an obvious smile in her voice.

Harm paused. "I," he paused again. "I'm in Reno," he told them. "Mac and I were on assignment up in the Sierras. Our first night up she fell into a nearly frozen pond and could have drowned, or died of hypothermia, and then we were stranded up there in the snow for over a week before they came to get us. Mac has pneumonia and is on a ventilator at St. Mary's… she's not doing very good."

"Oh, Harm," Trish said softly. "Are you okay?"

"Physically, I'm fine," he answered. "But I'm worried sick about Mac."

"Harm, did something happen between the two of you while you were trapped up there?" Frank asked gently, reading between the lines, as he had a knack of doing.

"We," Harm paused again, swallowed, and nodded. Realizing they couldn't see him, he swallowed again and spoke. "We worked things out between us."

"Worked things out?" Trish asked with obvious surprise. "Does that mean that you two are together now?"

Harm blinked back the tears forming. He couldn't lose her now. Not when they'd finally gotten it right. "Yeah, Mom, we're together."

"I'll call and have them warm up the plane," Frank told him. "We'll be there before morning. Where are you staying?"

"Circus Circus Hotel," Harm told him. "Room 4122. Mom? Could you bring the ring with you?"

"Harm… really?" his mother asked, though not really surprised. "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure," he said softly. "I just hope it's not too late."

"Get some sleep, son," Frank told him. "We'll be there soon."

"We love you," Trish said.

"Thank you," he said quietly, hanging up the phone. He called the hospital to check on Mac, and Jerry told them that there was no change and encouraged him to get some sleep. Setting the cell phone back on the night table and plugging it back into the charger, Harm moved to the bathroom to change into a pair of sweats to sleep in.

He climbed into the large bed and turned off the light. He lay there for a long time, thinking about Mac and the future he wanted them to have together, until he finally fell asleep.

**05:36 PST**

**Circus Circus Hotel**

**Reno, NV**

Harm jolted awake, disoriented. When he was finally cognizant of where he was, he closed his eyes and sighed. Turning, he looked at the clock beside the bed, before he picked up his cell phone and checked to be sure that he hadn't missed any calls. Then he climbed out of the bed and moved to the bathroom.

He frowned at the packs that he'd left sitting on the closet floor. He and Mac hadn't really packed much in the way of civilian attire, since they had figured on just hiking to the Marine Base Camp and then being air-lifted back to where their vehicle was near Echo Lake, before driving back to NAS Fallon.

The sweat pants and t-shirt he was currently wearing, along with a hooded sweatshirt in his pack, were the only civvies he had with him, and he really didn't relish the idea of putting either set of the fatigues he'd switched off wearing while they were up in the mountains back on again, even if it was just to go shopping.

The sound of his cell phone ringing had him rushing back to the bedside table, and he flipped it open to answer it without checking the caller ID. "Hello?"

"I didn't wake you, did I?" Frank's voice came over the line.

"Um, no," Harm said, relieved that it wasn't the hospital calling with bad news about Mac. "What are you doing up this early?"

Frank chuckled. "I'm _always_ up early," he replied, "and I know you are, too. Open your door."

Harm frowned in puzzlement, but moved to the door and peeked out the peep hole, shaking his head when he saw Frank there, on his cell phone. Opening the door, he disconnected the call, as Frank closed his own cell phone, and shook his stepfather's hand. "Thank you for coming… Mom still asleep?"

"No, she's taking a shower," Frank told him, handing him a duffel bag. "We didn't sleep much last night, but she insists that she's not tired."

"What is this?" Harm asked, indicating the duffel bag.

"Clothes, toiletries… things we thought you'd need. You did say you were on assignment, correct?" Frank said, taking a seat at a table near the window.

Harm nodded, as he stared at the duffel. "Yeah; I did."

"I figured you'd have military-issue clothes with you, and little else," Frank told him. "Room service will be up soon with coffee and breakfast; go ahead and get dressed."

Harm looked at Frank, surprise clearly written on his features. "Thank you," he said. "I'll be out in a few minutes."

He disappeared into the bathroom, dressing quickly, and came out of the bathroom just as a knock sounded on his door. Opening it, he found his mother standing there.

"Mom, hi," he said, accepting her hug and kiss on his cheek.

"Harmon," she said, looking over his attire as he closed the door. "I knew that would look good on you," she smiled.

"Thank you," he replied. "For both the compliment, and the clothing."

"Nonsense, dear," she said, taking a seat across from Frank at the table near the window. "We're your parents; taking care of you is what we do."

Harm had to smile, in spite of himself. "And you do it very well," he told her.

Another knock sounded on his door. This time it was room service, so he allowed the young man to enter and place the food and coffee on the table. Frank insisted on paying the tip, and then the young man disappeared again.

"So," Trish said casually, as she buttered her raspberry croissant. "Tell us more about this assignment that you and Mac were on. How did you two finally end up together?"

Harm took a sip of his coffee, blushing slightly, and proceeded to give them an edited version of his and Mac's adventure up in the mountains.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: This story is rated M for explicit sexual content; you know the drill! THANK YOU to everyone that has reviewed! Your reviews keep me motivated to keep posting! This is the last of the chapters I have pre-written, so depending on how much time I get to write, posting may slow down. I'll do my best! Enjoy...

**08:04 PST**

**St. Mary's Regional Medical Center**

**Reno, NV**

Harm led his parents into the ICU, to Mac's room. He lightly tapped on the glass door, waiting until he heard a voice tell him to enter, before poking his head around the curtain.

Marilyn was just covering Mac back up, and she looked up and smiled at him. "Harm," she said. "Come in."

"My parents are with me; is that okay?" he asked.

"It's more than okay," she said, as they all entered the room. "Where are Sarah's parents?" she asked Harm, after he'd introduced his parents to her.

"Her father passed away a couple of years ago, and she doesn't have much contact with her mother," he told her.

Marilyn gave him a sad smile, nodding. "I'm afraid not much has changed," she told him. "Jerry said that they suctioned out her lungs again last night, and she's been getting her medicines on schedule, but other than that, she's still about the same."

Harm nodded. "Thanks Marilyn," he said.

"Let me know if you need anything," she told them, before leaving the room again.

Harm took Mac's hand and leaned down to tenderly kiss her forehead. "Hey Marine," he said softly. "My Mom and Dad came up from La Jolla to see you. You do know that's a big deal, right?" he smiled at his mom.

Frank smiled at being called 'dad'. Since Harm's second trip to Russia, when he discovered that he had a half-brother, things between the two of them had begun to improve considerably. "Hello, Mac," he said, taking her other hand in his. "I'm looking forward to getting to know you. You get better soon, and we'll be right here waiting for you."

Trish smiled tightly at her husband and son. After Harm's second crash in an F14, and nearly losing him to the icy waters of the Atlantic Ocean, she'd harbored a deep-seated anger towards Sarah Mackenzie. She believed that, in many ways, Harm's crash was the younger woman's fault. On top of that, Mac had hurt her son deeply, many times, over the years that they had known each other. Was she now expected to just let all of that go and play the loving mother-in-law? She knew that was where Harm was headed, since he'd asked her to bring the ring his father had given her when he proposed, nearly forty years earlier.

Frank moved to sit in a chair at the foot of the bed, giving her shoulder a gentle squeeze as he moved past her.

Trish moved to the spot Frank had just vacated, and took Mac's hand. "Hello, Mac," she said softly. "You rest and get better."

The smile Harm gave his mother tugged at her heart, and caused her to reconsider her feelings towards Mac; if he was happy, she would be happy for him. She would have to work through her anger, and learn to love the young woman lying before her.

A young woman stepped into the room, obviously surprised to see them there. "I'm Jillian," she told them with a cheerful smile. "I'll be the CNA for the day. I'll be changing her linens in a bit, and I'll wash her hair for her. Should I give Sarah her sponge bath, or do you want to do it?" she asked Harm.

Harm blinked at the girl, who didn't look more than twelve. "Um… am I allowed to do that?" he asked, ignoring the amused looks his parents were giving him.

"Well, since she might be pregnant, and they told me that you're the father if she is, then it would be perfectly okay for you to give her a sponge bath, if you'd rather do it," she said, still smiling brightly at him.

Harm's face clouded over, as he felt, more than saw, the surprised looks on the faces of his mother and stepfather. "Apparently no one told you that that particular information was not to be shared," he said, his eyes boring into the young woman.

"Oh…" she said softly, looking between Harm and his parents, eyes very wide. "I am _so _sorry," she said, backing slowly from the room. "No; no one told me. I just assumed your parents would know. I really am very sorry… I'll just… go…"

Harm gave her a tight smile and a curt nod, as she scampered from the room. Sighing, he looked at Frank first, and then his mother. "Let's hear it," he said, resignedly.

"Hear what?" she asked, sitting in the chair behind her. "You're an adult, Harmon. I'm not going to scold you for not telling us that Mac might be pregnant… how, exactly, do you know that, anyway?"

Harm sat in the chair that was on his side of the bed, looked up at the ceiling, and sighed. Looking back at his parents, he winced. "Mac isn't on birth control pills, and since I wasn't exactly planning on us… well," he shrugged. "Mac told me after our third time together that she'd forgotten all about it as well, and that that particular week fell within the time frame she was most likely to conceive. We discussed it in depth, and made some solid decisions~ whether or not she is pregnant~ and I told her that my goal is to marry her… again, whether or not she is pregnant. We dealt with, and cleared the air about, a lot of past issues between us, shared things with each other we've never told anyone else, and made real plans for our future, while we were stuck up there in that snow storm. Personally, it was the best thing that has ever happened to me." He looked at Mac's pale, weak form. "Well, aside from Mac getting sick."

Trish looked at him for several minutes, as if really seeing him for the first time. Finally, she smiled tenderly at him. "When will you know for sure?" she asked.

"The doctor yesterday said several weeks," he answered, taking Mac's hand in his again and kissing the top of it. "I don't know how many weeks 'several' are, but I've been all tied up in knots worrying about what all of this could be doing to our child, if she is."

"Oh, Harm," Trish said softly. "I wish I could tell you that everything will be okay, but I don't want to lie to you."

Harm smiled sadly, nodding. "I know, Mom," he said, as he looked at Mac, his eyes shining with love. "But we've come this far… everything has to be okay." He kissed her hand again, brushing the hair from her forehead.

"It just has to," he whispered.

**21:50 PST**

**St. Mary's Regional Medical Center**

**Reno, NV**

**Two Days Later**

Harm startled, fully awake, immediately checking the monitors above Mac's bed. When he saw that all was well, he stood and stretched the kinks out of his back, and then rubbed his neck with his palm, moving his head to work the knots out.

Admiral Chegwidden had headed back to DC yesterday, after clearing Harm for two weeks leave. He'd told him to call, if there was anything he needed, any change in Mac's condition, good or bad, or if he needed more time off.

His parents were still in Reno, but they had been trying to give him as much time alone with Mac as possible. They seemed to be having fun playing tourist, as they'd never been to the area before.

He looked out the window towards the mountains, admiring the way the full-moon lit up the snow covered peaks, giving them a surreal quality.

A movement out of the corner of his eye caused him to turn, and he saw Mac flailing, tugging at the breathing tube.

Rushing to her side, he held both of her hands in his, getting close to her so that she could see his face.

"Mac! Mac! It's okay," he said, giving her a reassuring smile and nodding, when she stilled and looked at him with wide, terrified eyes. "It's okay," he assured her again. "They had to put you on a ventilator; you have a pretty bad case of pneumonia."

Mac's eyes showed the questions she had.

"You've been on the ventilator three, maybe four, days now," he said, watching as she blinked and looked around the room, and then looked at him questioningly again. "They air-lifted us out of the mountains the day after I went to call for help."

Mac looked confused, shaking her head.

"You don't remember that?" he asked, pushing the button to call the nurse.

She shook her head.

Gary, the night nurse that had replaced Jerry last night, came in and smiled when he saw that Mac was awake. "Good… you're awake," he said. "Now we can really harass you."

Mac blinked at him.

He grinned at her, winking. "You'll find we have a bit too much fun sometimes, here in the Critical Care Unit. Ask Harm; we've been irritating him for days now."

Harm chuckled, kissing Mac's forehead. "It's okay," he told her. "Really."

Mac nodded, still looking dubious, and tried to cough, pulling at the tube again.

Harm again stilled her hands. "Don't fight the tube, Sarah," he said softly. "You could do some serious damage."

"I'll call the doctor and see what he wants to do about removing it," Gary told them, moving to the opposite side of the bed from Harm. "In the meantime, you need to try to rest as much as possible. I know that sounds ridiculous, given that you've been in a drug-induced coma for four days, but trust me, rest really is the best thing for you right now."

Mac looked at them, and then made a writing motion with her hands.

Gary nodded, disappeared out the door for a minute, and returned with a stack of paper on a clipboard, and a pencil. "Here you are."

Mac scribbled something on it, and if Harm hadn't known her as well as he did, he might not have been able to read it.

"Admiral Chegwidden was here, but he went back to Washington yesterday," he told her. "He said to tell you to feel better soon, and not to worry about anything."

She scribbled something again, and showed it to him. It took him a moment to decipher, and he smiled.

"No, I'm not disobeying any orders," he promised. "The Admiral has given me at least two weeks off to be here with you."

Her eyes widened, and she scribbled some more.

"No," Harm shook his head. "He didn't say anything. I don't know if he knows about us or not… but does it really matter?"

Mac's eyes softened and she shook her head. Then she frowned, scribbling something else.

Harm read it and smiled, nodding his head. "My parents are really here," he told her. "They've been visiting pretty regularly. We have rooms across the street at a hotel."

Mac scribbled once more, handing him the clipboard.

"I'm not going anywhere, Mac," he promised. "Get some rest."

She nodded tiredly, closing her eyes. In less than five minutes, she was sound asleep.

Gary recorded her vital signs, and then nodded to Harm. "I'll see about getting you a cot for tonight."

Harm looked up from his study of Mac's features. "Thank you."

**08:12 PST**

**St. Mary's Regional Medical Center**

**Reno, NV**

Harm looked up from the book he was reading when his parents entered the room, putting a finger to his lips and nodding towards Mac.

"She just went back to sleep," he said softly, noting the surprised looks they gave him.

"When did she wake up?" Frank asked.

"Last night," he told them. "She woke up and was fighting the vent-tube. I got her calmed down, and she has been communicating with paper and pencil when she's awake, but mostly she's been sleeping."

"It's probably what she needs most," Trish said, taking a seat beside Frank at the foot of the bed.

Harm nodded. "They are waiting for Dr. Denny, her pulmonologist, to come and evaluate her, to see if the vent-tube can come out."

"How are you doing?" Frank asked. "Did you get some sleep? Have you eaten?"

Harm nodded, tilting his head towards the cot that was now folded up in the corner. "I slept on the cot for several hours last night," he told them. "And I went to the cafeteria to get some breakfast this morning during shift change. If they take the tube out, I'll plan on heading over to the hotel to take a nap this afternoon, and I'll sleep there tonight."

Frank and Trish nodded their understanding.

Mac stirred, reaching for the vent-tube, but Harm was fast and stopped her from pulling at it, even before she'd opened her eyes.

"Easy, Mac," he said gently.

Mac looked up at him, grimacing slightly and shaking her head.

"I know," Harm told her. "It hurts. The doctor should be here soon to examine you, and decide whether or not to take it out."

Mac nodded and Harm kissed her forehead tenderly.

"My folks are here," he said, nodding to Frank and Trish sitting at the foot of the bed.

Mac's eyes widened and she smiled the best she could around the tube, giving them a shy wave. She motioned to Harm to give her clipboard of paper, and pencil, back to her.

"_Hello_," she wrote to them on the paper. "_I'm glad you are here for Harm_."

"We're here for you, too," Frank told her with a smile.

"_Thank you_," Mac wrote, looking embarrassed. "_It hurts_," she wrote, showing the paper to Harm. "_How long before the doctor comes_?"

"I don't know," he replied. "They said it could be any minute, or it could be hours from now. You can have some pain medication, if you need it; it's been almost four hours."

Mac hesitated. "_I don't know if I should_; _you know my history of addiction._"

"Don't try to tough it out," Harm told her. "I told them about your history, and they've been changing your pain meds every twelve hours, so you won't become addicted."

"_Thank you_," she wrote, her eyes softening. "_I love you_."

"I love you, too," Harm said quietly, caressing her cheek with the backs of his fingers. "Let me call the nurse to get you something for the pain, okay?"

Mac nodded, closing her eyes as Harm pushed the call button for the nurse.

A moment later, a sweet looking nurse around Mac's age entered. "What do you need sweetheart?" she asked. "I'm Tammy, by the way; you were sleeping when I came on this morning."

"_It's nice to meet you,_" Mac wrote. "_Could I please have something for the pain?_"

"Of course you can, darlin'," Tammy said, beaming at her. "I'll be back in a couple of minutes."

Tammy disappeared and Mac closed her eyes again, while Harm held her hand, watching her with a tender look in his eyes.

"Here you go, sweetie," Tammy said, as she returned with a syringe full of pain medicine. "I'm giving you lortab this time around, since you had dilaudid last time," she told her, as she injected the medication into her IV line. "You should start feeling relief almost immediately."

Mac nodded, and Harm could see the tension lines around her eyes and on her forehead begin to relax, as the medication kicked in.

"Better?" Harm asked, smiling at her.

Mac nodded, as she began to relax.

"Do you need anything else darlin'?" Tammy asked her.

Mac shook her head. "_Thank you_," she wrote on her tablet.

"You're very welcome," Tammy said. "Call me if you need anything else."

"_I need a double cheeseburger, large fries and a chocolate shake_," Mac wrote, causing Harm to laugh.

"Always thinking with your stomach," he teased, shaking his head.

Mac gently thwacked him with the clipboard, rolling her eyes, trying not to laugh. "_It hurts to laugh, Harm!_"

"I'm sorry," he said, kissing her cheek. "I love you."

"_I love you, too,_" she wrote.

Harm brushed the hair from her forehead, as they stared lovingly into one another's eyes for several minutes, completely forgetting about his parents being in the room.

"Knock, knock," a man's voice said, just before a very handsome man in his mid to late thirties entered the room. "I'm Dr. Denny," he said, holding his hand out to first Mac, and then Harm. "Are you Sarah?" he asked Mac.

Mac nodded. "_Please take this thing out… it's killing me!_" she wrote.

He gave her a sympathetic look, and moved to listen to her lungs. "I know it hurts, but I need you to cough for me," he told her, adjusting her so that he could place the stethoscope on her back.

Mac did as instructed, wincing in pain as she did so.

"Okay, easy," he said, helping her to lie back again. "Well, your lungs sound clearer than they did a few days ago, so I'm going to go ahead and remove the vent-tube, but you'll have to be on oxygen for awhile yet. I'm going to order a respiratory therapist to come work with you a couple of times a day, and I want you to do exactly what he or she tells you, so you don't end up back on this machine again, okay?"

Mac nodded her understanding.

Harm moved out of the doctor's way, as he began undoing all of the tape and extra lines around the vent-tube.

"Okay, on three, I want you to take a deep breath, and then force as much of the air out of your lungs as you can," Dr. Denny instructed. He waited for Mac's nod before continuing. "One… two… three," he said.

Mac took a deep breath, and then forced the air out of her lungs as the doctor pulled the tube out. She started coughing hard the minute it was out, and gagging shortly after.

Dr. Denny grabbed a pink plastic tub, holding it in front of her. "Spit it out, Sarah," he instructed.

Mac shook her head, waving her hand in front of her and gasping, still coughing hard.

Dr. Denny grabbed the suction tube, gently pushing her back and sticking it down her throat, sucking out the fluid as she continued to cough.

The coughing finally subsided, and the doctor removed the suction tube from her mouth, hanging it back on the hook behind the bed. Then he moved to look into her eyes. "Okay now?"

Mac nodded, breathing heavily, as he grabbed an oxygen tube and placed the canula under her nose, turning the oxygen on.

"In through your nose, out through your mouth," he told her. "Take as deep a breath as you can each time."

Mac did as instructed, still coughing occasionally, but this time spitting the stuff that came up out into the pink tub.

"Good girl," he encouraged.

"God… that hurts…" she rasped out, her voice little more than a whisper.

"Yeah, I'm afraid it does," he said gently. "Try not to talk too much, okay? Your trachea is going to be raw from the vent-tube for several days yet."

Mac nodded again, setting the pink tub on the tray beside the bed, and closing her eyes for a minute.

"I'll be back to check on her tomorrow," he told Harm, Frank, and Trish. "In the meantime, I'll send someone up from RT to work with her."

"Thank you doctor," Harm said, shaking the man's hand.

Dr. Denny smiled and nodded, before silently slipping out of the room.

Harm sat back in the chair beside Mac, taking her hand in his.

Mac looked at him tiredly, smiling wanly, before closing her eyes again.


	9. Chapter 9

This story is rated M due to explicit sexual content... DO NOT read this if you are underage, or if such material offends you! Sorry this took so long... RL decided to dump on me again. Thank you to everyone that posted reviews!! They keep me motivated to continue, so keep them coming, please! Enjoy...

**18:22 PST**

**St. Mary's Regional Medical Center**

**Reno, NV**

**Three Days Later**

Harm slipped into Mac's room, shaking his head at her as he handed her the fast-food bag. "I can't believe I let you talk me into this," he said, as she snatched the chocolate shake from him.

Mac had been moved to a regular room that morning, and had finally convinced (begged, pleaded and cajoled) Harm to bring her a combo from one of the local fast-food restaurants. She sipped at the chocolate milkshake and moaned happily. "God, I'm in heaven," she said. "I love you."

"Should I be worried?" Harm asked, grinning at her. "You seem to like that more than~"

"Harm!" Mac cut him off, eyes wide. "No, you have nothing to worry about," she promised, blushing, but returning his sultry grin.

"Mmm, good," he murmured, kissing her behind her ear. "'Cause when you are better, I'm going to…"

"Hi Frank, Trish," Mac said, again cutting Harm off and causing him to jump slightly and look guiltily up at his parents.

"Harm must _really_ love you," Frank smiled, ignoring his stepson's embarrassment and kissing Mac's cheek. "If he brought you junk food."

Trish smiled, taking a seat nearby. "How are you feeling, dear?" she asked.

"Better, thank you," Mac said, taking a large bite of her bacon double cheeseburger with extra onion and smiling. "Especially now that I have some real food."

"The food here isn't that bad, Mac," Harm protested.

"No, it isn't," she agreed. "But they barely give you enough to keep a bird alive. I've been _starving_! "

Harm rolled his eyes, but wisely chose not to comment.

"How much longer are you planning to stay in Reno?" Mac asked Frank and Trish, as she dipped three French fries into her chocolate shake and ate them, ignoring the strangling noise Harm made when she did. "Harm called the Admiral and got another two weeks, but I was told I might be released in two or three more days, and I'm sure we'll have to head home shortly after I get out."

Frank, who was very amused watching the two of them together, smiled at his wife. "We were thinking of heading home tomorrow or the next day. Trish wanted to do some more shopping before we go home."

Mac nodded. "Shopping is always a plus," she smiled. She finished her burger, fries and milkshake while his parents told them about the places they'd gone and things they'd seen since they'd been there. "Harm and I are talking about trying to come out here when it warms up to do the tourist thing," Mac said. "I've never been here just to see the sights."

Harm cleaned up the trash and sat back in his chair, just as the day nurse came in with the night nurse.

"Sarah," Jess, the day nurse, came in and smiled. "This is Jean; she'll be your nurse tonight. Do you need anything before I head home?"

"No, I'm fine," Mac smiled. "Thank you, for everything."

"Well, thank you for letting me take care of you today; I hope you get better soon," Jess said. "I'll be back tomorrow morning."

Mac nodded. "Thank you."

"I'll be back to get your vital signs and check on you in a bit. Call me if you need anything before then," Jean said.

"I will," Mac said. "Thanks."

The two women left, and Harm looked at her again. "Did your respiratory therapist come in yet?"

"They haven't been back since after lunch," she told him. "Someone is supposed to come before 21:00. They've also been trying to make arrangements for me to get a shower or a real bath today, instead of another sponge bath. They've been having trouble finding someone that can go in and help me; apparently they're a bit short-staffed right now."

Harm nodded in understanding.

"We're going to head back to the hotel now," Frank said, standing and taking Trish's hand. "We'll see you in the morning, Mac; get some rest."

"Thank you both," Mac said, smiling at them. "For everything."

"You're welcome, dear," Trish said. She was finally starting to warm up to Mac again, her anger dissipating a little more everyday.

As soon as they were gone, Harm looked at Mac. "I could help you with your bath, or shower," he told her.

Mac blushed. "Harm…"

"No," he said, stopping her thoughts from going where he knew they were headed. "I mean it. I can help you, and I promise to behave, if you really want a bath or shower tonight." He caressed her cheek tenderly. "Let me help you, Sarah," he said softly.

Mac's eyes softened, and she smiled lovingly at him, nodding. "Okay."

"Good," Harm said. "I'll go talk to your nurse and arrange it."

**20:41 PST**

**St. Mary's Regional Medical Center**

**Reno, NV**

Harm supported as much of Mac's weight as she would allow him to, as he helped her back to her room and into bed. He covered her up, happy to see that the CNA had changed her sheets while he'd helped her with her bath, and then moved the hospital table over the bed so that she had easier access to the items sitting on it.

"Could you get me a cup of water and the tub on the bathroom counter, please?" Mac asked him, as she used the comb sitting on the table to brush through her damp hair.

Harm nodded and picked up the empty Styrofoam cup on her table, heading down the hall to get some fresh water for her from the small kitchen. He stopped to peruse the contents of both the mini fridge and freezer, and the cupboards behind the door, before heading back towards Mac's room with her water.

Mac had finished combing her hair, and was putting lotion on all the areas of her body that she could reach.

Harm brought the pink tub from the bathroom and set it on the table, before picking up the bottle of lotion. "Let me help you," he said, waiting for Mac to nod before he put any of the lotion on his hands. He then began rubbing the lotion into the skin of the parts of her body she had been unable to reach, ending with her feet.

Mac closed her eyes as he gave her a heavenly foot massage, rubbing the lotion into every crease and crevice of her foot. "You have great hands, Commander," she said softly.

Harm smiled. "Thank you, Colonel." He finished the foot massage and went into the bathroom to wash his hands.

Mac dipped the toothbrush into the cup of water he had brought, placed a dab of toothpaste onto it, and began brushing her teeth, spitting the excess into the pink tub on the table. When she was finished, she rinsed her mouth out, rinsed off the toothbrush, and sighed happily. "I feel almost human again."

Harm winked at her, as she flipped on the television set and began scanning the channels for something to watch.

Jean came in a minute later, smiling at her. "Feel better?" she asked.

Mac nodded, muting the TV. "Yes, thank you," she replied.

Jean took her vital signs, hung up the IV antibiotic, and rinsed the plastic tub out in the bathroom sink. "Need anything?" she asked Mac.

"I'm fine right now," Mac told her. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Jean said, smiling at her. "I'll be back in half an hour, when your antibiotic is finished. The respiratory therapist should be here soon; he got tied up with another patient."

Mac nodded, thanking her again.

Jean quietly left the room, closing the door behind her.

She had only been gone for ten minutes, when the respiratory therapist came in.

He spent twenty minutes with her, having her do her breathing exercises, use the respirometer, and making her cough, then he told her she was doing great and left.

Jean came in two minutes later to disconnect the IV line, since the antibiotics were finished. As soon as she was sure Mac didn't need anything else, she turned down the lights and left the room, closing the door behind her again.

"I think I should head back to the hotel and let you get some sleep," Harm told Mac, as she turned the sound on the TV back up again.

"I'm too keyed up to sleep," Mac told him. "But you need to go get some sleep."

"What's wrong?" Harm asked, concerned.

Mac shrugged. "Don't know, really," she answered. "I'm just… wound up for some reason. You know me, chronic insomniac, remember?" She smiled at him.

"You slept just fine when we were up in the mountains," Harm said softly.

"Mmm," Mac nodded. "But usually it was after we'd made love, and you were holding me, then. You're good for me."

Harm thought for a minute, smiled and stood. "Scoot over," he said.

"What?" Mac asked, surprised.

"Scoot over," Harm told her. "I'm going to help you sleep."

**23:03 PST**

**St. Mary's Regional Medical Center**

**Reno, NV**

Curious, Mac flipped off the television and moved over as far as she could on the bed.

Harm toed off his shoes, climbed up into the bed, and instructed Mac to turn so that she was spooned against him, before covering them both up with the blankets. "Okay?" he asked her.

Mac nodded, as Harm supported his weight on his right arm, while using his left hand to turn her face towards him so that he could kiss her.

The kisses were tender and loving at first, and then became more passionate.

"Harm," Mac said breathlessly. "We can't…"

"Shh," he whispered, trailing kisses to her ear. "Trust me, Mac."

"I do," she replied softly.

Harm kissed her neck, sucking at the pulse point briefly, before trailing kisses along her jaw to nip at her earlobe. Using his left palm, he caressed the length of her arm, linking their fingers together briefly, before moving his hand so that it was splayed across her abdomen.

He moved his right arm so that it was now underneath Mac, cradling her close to him. Caressing the inside of her thigh with his fingertips, he stopped just before he reached her most intimate secrets.

"Harm…" she breathed in protest. "Someone might come in."

"That's part of the thrill, isn't it?" he murmured in her ear, tracing the outline with his tongue. "The prospect of getting caught?" His left palm flattened against her breast, and he massaged it gently. "Trust me, Mac," he said softly.

"I do," she gasped, as he gently ground his teeth along her earlobe. "Oh! Um…"

"Shh," Harm soothed, his fingers nimbly massaging her taut nipple through the thin fabric of her hospital gown. "You are so beautiful… so soft… so responsive…"

Mac closed her eyes and relaxed, giving herself fully over to his ministrations, trusting him completely.

Harm felt it, the minute she gave herself completely over to him, and it humbled him. Here in his arms was the strongest, proudest, most put-together woman he'd ever known. Her past made it difficult for her to trust~ not just men, but people in general, so the fact that she would place her trust so completely in him warmed him, and made him more determined than ever to love, honor, cherish and protect her.

"I love you, Sarah," he murmured, as he moved his right hand up to her right breast, while trailing his left hand from her left breast to the edge of her gown. Using just the tips of his fingers, he gently lifted the gown while caressing the soft skin of her thighs, until he reached the moist entrance of her womanhood.

Sliding his left index finger through her slick folds, he moved his finger to the taut bundle of nerves at her center and applied just the right amount of pressure.

Mac jerked at the contact, whimpering softly. As Harm increased the pressure, she found coherent thought to be more and more difficult. Her breathing increased, as did her heart rate, and she grasped the bed sheet tightly in one fist, while holding on to the bed rail so forcefully with the other hand, she thought the plastic might crack under the strain.

Harm found the spot, just at her hairline on the back of her neck, that he knew was an erogenous zone for her and kissed her there, smiling when she moaned softly. Using his fore and middle fingers, he pushed into her body slowly, before pulling them out again, while continuing to manipulate her clit with his thumb.

Mac's hips matched the rhythm of his thrusting fingers, as she closed her eyes and arched her neck back against his right shoulder.

Keeping one eye on the door, Harm dipped his head down to kiss and suckle at the pliant flesh of her neck, continuing his ministrations with his left hand, while his right hand alternately kneaded her breasts, or pulled at the tight buds of her sensitive nipples.

"Come for me, Mac," he whispered in her ear. "Fly for me, sweetheart."

Mac nodded, releasing the bed rail and using her left hand to pull him down into a frenetic, passionate kiss, his mouth muffling her cry as she found the release she'd been needing so desperately.

Harm continued to kiss her as he slowed the thrusting of his fingers and eased off the pressure to her clit, gently bringing her down from the heights of passion. Wrapping both arms around her and hugging her snugly against him, he kissed her temple, smiling at the contented sigh that escaped her lips.

"Okay?" he whispered into her ear.

Mac looked up at him sleepily, a satisfied smile on her face, and nodded. "Better than," she murmured softly.

Harm continued to hold her close to him, until she finally drifted off to sleep. Carefully slipping out of the bed, so as not to wake her, he made his way to the bathroom and closed and locked the door.

Bracing himself over the toilet with his left hand on the wall behind it, he used his right hand to stroke his engorged member until he finally found the release he needed, muffling his cry of pleasure in the sleeve of his shirt as his semen shot into the toilet below.

After flushing the toilet and fixing his clothing, he washed his hands and slipped back into the bed with Mac, who was still sleeping soundly. Wrapping his arms around her again, he kissed the back of her head and closed his eyes, drifting off into the first sound sleep he'd had since coming down off of the mountain.


	10. Chapter 10

While most of this story is rated M, this part is safe for everyone. Sorry this has taken so long~ I got the flu, or a cold, or _something_, and have been freakin' miserable! So, the Christmas chapter will be much later than I'd hoped. :-( THANK YOU!!! to everyone that has reviewed so far. The reviews are what keep me motivated to keep posting, and are greatly appreciated! Enjoy...

**05:45 PST**

**St. Mary's Regional Medical Center**

**Reno, NV**

Harm lifted his head with a start and blinked at the nurse, Jean, who smiled at him and put a finger to her lips while she continued to take Mac's vital signs while she slept.

"Sorry," she whispered. "Didn't mean to wake you."

"It's okay," Harm assured her, returning her smile. He brushed the hair from Mac's forehead and slid carefully out of the bed. "How is she doing?"

"Great," Jean told him. "She'll need to be on antibiotics for a few more weeks, but her lungs are nearly clear and she is getting stronger everyday. I think they may release her today or tomorrow. I've never seen anyone bounce back from pneumonia as severe as hers was, that quickly. "

Harm smiled, pleased and relieved.

She noted Mac's vital signs on her clipboard and listened to her lungs and heart, before looking up at Harm. "You two have plans for Christmas?"

Harm blinked. He'd completely forgotten that Christmas was less than a week away. "Um… not yet," he said. "I've been too worried about her to really give it much thought."

Jean nodded. "I'll come back to check on her before my shift is over," she told him.

"I think I'm going to head over to the hotel and change; take my morning run," Harm told her. "After I get a shower and get dressed, I'll be back. It shouldn't take me more than two hours."

"I'll let her know, if she wakes up," Jean said, rolling the machine that she used to take all of the patients' vital signs out the door in front of her.

"Thanks," Harm said. He stopped long enough to make sure Mac was covered up, kissing her temple, before leaving the room to head to the hotel.

He hurried across the street, the icy morning air making his breath fog as he walked briskly along the sidewalk. He knew that his parents were planning on heading back home to La Jolla soon, but he wondered if he and Mac should head back to DC for the holiday, or if they should go with his parents.

Of course, other than the clothes his parents had bought for him, he didn't have anything to wear. He blinked as he realized that Mac didn't have anything to wear but the fatigues, underwear, and t-shirt and shorts he'd pulled out of her pack and washed for her a few days ago, when he'd taken his stuff to a local Laundromat.

He went up to his room and changed into the sweats he'd brought, before lacing up the sneakers his mother had bought him and heading back downstairs. He walked briskly to one of the parks beside the river that ran through the middle of town and did a quick warm-up, before starting his morning run along the path that ran beside the river.

An hour and fifteen minutes later, he was back in his hotel room taking a hot shower, before he dressed and headed over to the hospital, stopping at the cafeteria for breakfast before going back up to Mac's room.

Mac was sitting up in the bed when he arrived, exactly one hour and forty-eight minutes from the time he'd left.

"There you are," she smiled at him. "You just missed my doctor; I'm being sprung tomorrow afternoon, as long as I can walk okay on my own."

"Then I'd better see about getting you some clothes," he replied, kissing her tenderly.

Mac looked surprised. "Oh. I hadn't thought about that."

"It just occurred to me, while I was getting ready for my run," Harm told her. "Don't worry about it; I'll take care of it."

"Are you sure?" Mac asked, frowning slightly. "I hate to ask you to~"

"You're not asking; I'm offering," he said, taking her hand. "Besides, I plan on taking care of you for a long time to come, so you'd better start getting used to it now."

Mac smiled at him, nodding.

"Jean asked me if we have plans for Christmas yet," he said. "I'd completely forgotten about it, until she mentioned it."

"Is it that close?" Mac asked, frowning. Her eyes widened, as she realized that it was less than a week away. "I guess it is. Oh."

Harm smiled as he watched the play of emotions on her face. "We can head back to DC for the holiday, or we can go with my parents back to their place. I'm okay with either option, as long as we're together."

"Do you think your parents would mind?" she asked.

"Only one way to find out," Harm said, fishing his cell phone out of his pocket.

**16:09 PST**

**St. Mary's Regional Medical Center**

**Reno, NV**

Harm entered Mac's room, setting the bags he'd brought with him onto the bed and smiling widely at her. "I hope you like the things I picked out for you," he said. "If not, we can take it back and I'll take you shopping for more, a little later."

Mac eyed the assortment of bags he'd brought and looked at him in surprise. "I think you bought me an entire new wardrobe as it is," she smiled. "You really don't have to buy me anything else."

"I want to," Harm said. "I actually enjoyed shopping for you."

Mac saw the names of some of the stores on the bags, and she realized that he must have spent a small fortune. "Please tell me that you didn't max out all of your credit cards on me."

Harm grinned at her. "Nope; though my savings account is significantly smaller."

"Oh, Harm," Mac said, giving him an apologetic look. "I'll pay you back."

Harm shook his head, grinning. "Absolutely not; besides, I was just kidding. Anyway, my Mom bought some of it and, like I said, I enjoyed shopping for you. I insist that you accept it as a gift."

Mac held up a gorgeous red silk dress and smiled. "You and your mother have great taste."

"Thank you. Frank bought you a couple of suitcases to put it all in," Harm told her. "He'll be bringing those by in a little while."

"When is their flight to La Jolla?" Mac asked, folding a pair of designer jeans and setting them aside.

"Whenever they're ready to go," Harm told her. "It's a private jet, so Frank just has to give them enough notice to get everything ready."

Mac stopped in the middle of folding a navy blue wool skirt and blinked at him. "Your parents have a private jet?"

Harm shrugged. "Yeah."

"It's too bad they already had plans for Christmas," Mac said, shaking off her surprise and pulling a very skimpy bra and panty set out of the Victoria's Secret bag. "Something tells me your mother didn't pick this out."

Harm grinned, shaking his head.

Mac rolled her eyes, smiling as she pulled out a set for every day of week, and then some. "Well, I won't need bras and underwear for awhile."

Harm winked at her, as she put the items back into the bag they came out of before moving on to the next bag. "Frank said that they'd booked the cruise six months ago. He offered to cancel so they could spend the holiday with us, but I told him not to worry about it. There'll be plenty of other holidays we can spend with them."

Mac nodded in understanding, as she admired a pale pink angora sweater.

"My mother picked that out for you," Harm told her. "She said with your complexion, it would be perfect. As usual, she was right."

Mac smiled at him, blushing slightly. "Thank you. Since we're headed back to DC for Christmas, we'll need to go shopping for everyone, especially Little AJ."

"We'll get it done," he promised her.

"We're going to be very busy for the next several days," she said.

"Yes, we are," he smiled. "But we'll handle it."

Mac set the bags aside and leaned forward to kiss him. "I know we will."

**19:21 PST**

**Circus Circus Hotel Casino**

**Reno, NV**

**Next Day**

Harm placed his arm possessively around Mac's waist, as they made their way through the casino area to the hotel elevators. It hadn't escaped his notice that every male head (and several female heads as well) turned to watch as she walked by. He could scarcely blame them, though.

Mac was radiant, dressed in form-fitting black designer jeans, the pink angora sweater that his mother had picked out, which hugged every curve and fit her perfectly in every way, and black Reeboks. The only makeup she wore was some mascara and a bit of lipstick, but she was still absolutely stunning.

They stepped into the elevator and Harm pushed the button for the fourth floor. When they arrived at his room, he used his free hand to pull his key card out of the pocket of his jeans, opening the door and indicating that she should precede him in. Once they were both inside, he nudged the door shut with his foot, pulling her into his arms for a deep, lingering kiss.

"What time does our flight leave tomorrow?" Mac asked, smiling up at him.

"We're scheduled for takeoff at 10:30 hours," he told her.

Mac had been released from the hospital just after 13:00 hours, the same time his parents' plane was due to take off, so Harm had stayed at the hospital to help Mac, instead of seeing them off. After bringing her over to the hotel to drop off her suitcases, they'd headed out to NAS Fallon in the SUV Harm had rented.

Admiral Milson had sent some officers up to retrieve the SUV that they had left in the parking lot at Echo Chalet, so Harm and Mac had gone out to retrieve Mac's purse and the other items they'd left behind, both at the base and in the vehicle.

After they'd finished speaking with Admiral Milson and retrieving their belongings, they had stopped for dinner at a diner in Fallon before heading back into Reno.

Mac disengaged from his embrace and sat down on the bed. "Well, what are we going to do for the next couple of hours?"

Harm sat down beside her, taking her hand. "We could go see a show somewhere. I hear there is a really good Holiday show at one of the local casino showrooms. Or we could go shopping; there are several gift shops along the main street, and more along the river. Or… we could stay in where it's warm and watch Christmas specials on TV."

Mac smiled at that. "I like that idea. Why don't you go down to the coffee shop and get us some hot chocolate and some snacks, while I take a hot bath and get comfortable? When you get back, we can snuggle up and watch television for awhile."

"Sounds like a good plan to me," he said, kissing her tenderly. "You get comfortable; I'll be back in a little while."

Mac nodded and watched as he grabbed the keycard from the dresser, before heading out the door. She stood and moved to the bathroom, turning the water on to let it warm up as she stripped out of her clothes, hanging up the delicate sweater and putting the rest in the plastic bag the hotel provided for laundry.

She was just about to slip into the bath, when the sound of her cell phone ringing caused her to head back into the main room and pull her phone out of her purse. "Hello?" she said into the phone.

"Mac, it's me," Harm's voice came over the line. "I was calling to remind you to take your medicine; it's time again."

Mac smiled. "Yes, dear," she said, pulling the bottles out of her purse. "I'll take it right now."

Harm chuckled. "Were you already in the tub?"

"No," she said, swallowing the antibiotic with some water from her water bottle. "You caught me just in time." She measured out the cough syrup into the plastic cup from the top of the bottle, drinking it down and grimacing at the awful taste. "I'll see you soon. Love you."

"Love you, too," Harm said, disconnecting the line.

Mac placed the bottles back into her purse, keeping the measuring cup in her hand to rinse out, and turned back towards the bathroom, swaying slightly as a wave of dizziness overcame her. Sitting down on the bed, she took some deep breaths and waited for the room to stop spinning, before she stood and went back into the bathroom. After she rinsed out the cup for her cough medicine, she slipped into the tub and sighed happily, closing her eyes.

She soaked for exactly fifteen minutes, before pulling the plug on the drain and standing, drying off quickly. She pulled on a pair of panties and moved to the closet, smiling when one of Harm's shirts caught her eye. It was one he'd worn recently, but was apparently considered clean enough for him to have hung it back up.

Taking it from the hangar, she held it to her nose and inhaled his unique scent, before slipping it on and buttoning it up, leaving the top two buttons undone. Pulling a pair of anklet socks from her suitcase, she put them on her feet and pulled the covers back on the bed, climbing up and adjusting the pillows.

She'd just turned on the television and was channel surfing when Harm returned, setting several bags down on the table. "Where did you go, and what did you buy?" she asked, surprised at the number of bags he had brought in.

"I went up the street to Walgreens," he told her. "I bought hot chocolate mix," he said, holding each item up to show her as he pulled it out. "A mug for each of us, microwave popcorn, an electric tea kettle to heat up water for our hot chocolate, and Red Vines for you," he said, winking at her and tossing her the package.

"You're too good to me," she smiled, opening the package and pulling one out.

Harm smiled at her, as he opened the electric tea kettle and carried it to the bathroom, filling it up with water before setting it on the table and plugging it in.

He began undressing while the water heated up, moving to put his dirty clothes in the plastic bag, and stopped when he noticed his shirt was missing. Then he realized that Mac was wearing it and smiled, shaking his head.

Within a few minutes, Harm was snuggled up on the bed with an arm around Mac. They both had a cup of steaming hot cocoa, with a bag of popcorn sitting on Harm's lap.

"What are we watching?" Harm asked, sipping his drink before setting his mug on the table beside him.

"White Christmas," Mac grinned up at him.

Smiling, Harm pulled Mac a little closer and kissed her temple, settling in to watch the movie.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: This story is rated M for mature, so please do not read if you are underage, or if such material offends you! The first half of this chapter was fogging up the computer screen as I wrote it; you have been warned! As always, THANK YOU to everyone that takes a moment to post a review! It is greatly appreciated, and keeps me motivated to continue posting! In answer to your question Al: Swallow, every time! ;-) Enjoy...

**01:28 PST**

**Circus Circus Hotel Casino**

**Reno, NV**

Mac awoke just before her cell phone alarm was set to go off, reaching over to the night stand to grab it and silence it, before it went off and woke Harm. Slipping quietly out of bed, she grabbed her purse from the table and moved to the bathroom, closing the door and flipping the light on, blinking at the sudden brightness.

As soon as her eyes adjusted, she used the toilet, washed her hands, and took her medicine, brushing her hair out before she flipped off the light and went back to bed. Snuggling up against Harm again, she closed her eyes and tried to fall back to sleep.

Twenty minutes later, she sighed in frustration, unable to fall back to sleep.

She began tracing slow, lazy circles on Harm's bare chest, teasing the hair as her hand moved lower and lower. Moving up, she started at his neck and began trailing kisses along the same path her hand had taken moments before, stopping every now and then to inhale his unique scent.

She moved her kisses back up to his left nipple, swirling her tongue around it before sucking gently, while her hand slipped beneath his boxers and began stroking his penis, stirring the organ to life.

"Mac…" Harm breathed softly.

Mac stopped, preparing to move her hand, but smiled when his own held hers in place.

"Don't stop," he whispered.

Nodding, she increased her strokes as his member slowly became hard and ready, all the while continuing to place kisses along his chest, and lick and suck on his taut nipples.

She started kissing her way down his body, stopping long enough to help him out of his boxers, before moving so that she was kneeling between his thighs. She circled the tip of his cock with her forefinger, spreading the pre-cum around it, before leaning forward and taking him into her mouth, moving slowly further and further down until she had all of him surrounded.

"Mac…" Harm said raggedly, fighting the urge to thrust into her mouth. He cried out in pleasure as she pulled back slowly, creating a vacuum as she did so. "Mac!" he cried again. "I'm going to~"

"It's okay," she told him softly, taking him fully into her warm, wet mouth again and repeating her previous actions.

Once, twice… the third time he tangled his fingers in her hair and thrust forward, crying out as he exploded into her mouth and then collapsed back onto the bed, breathing raggedly and seeing stars.

Mac sat up and smiled as she swallowed, wiping the corners of her mouth delicately with her fingertips before she moved up to kiss him deeply.

"Did I wake you?" she asked coyly.

Harm swallowed hard and then chuckled, pulling her back in for another intense kiss. "If that's how you're going to wake me, I don't mind at all," he told her, as he began to unbutton the shirt she wore and pushed it off of her.

Trailing kisses from her ear, down her neck to her breast, Harm kneaded the right one in his left hand, while he suckled at the left.

Mac tangled her fingers in his hair, tossing her head back and moaning in pleasure. "Harm…" she breathed.

Harm switched breasts and moved his left hand slowly down her flat stomach, slipping his hand into her panties and snaking his forefinger into the warm, wet curls between her thighs. He gently pushed her backwards, until she was lying on her back, as his finger slipped into her body, causing her hips to lift off of the bed as she gasped in pleasure.

"Like that?" he asked quietly, as he used his teeth to gently tease her nipple.

"Yes," she said, gasping again when his finger moved to rub at her sensitive clit. "Oh!"

"Easy," he whispered, trailing kisses back to her ear, nipping at the lobe.

Harm kissed, licked, caressed, and worshipped every inch of her body slowly; lovingly. Three times he took her over the edge, bringing her back up again, until he had her ready to fall over a fourth time.

"I can't," she said, her eyes wet with tears.

"Yes you can," he told her, kissing her deeply. "Trust me." Trailing kisses back down her body, he hovered just over her. One hand rested flat against her abdomen, while his hot breath teased the entrance to her womanhood.

"Harm…" she whimpered.

"It's okay," he promised, thrusting three fingers into her while his mouth latched on to her swollen clit, sucking hard.

"Harm!" she screamed, grabbing his hair and thrusting her hips forward as she fell off the cliff again. No man had ever taken her this far before, and she wept in pure bliss as he continued to kiss and stroke her as she rode out the wave, gently bringing her back down from the heights again.

Moving slowly up her body, placing tender kisses and caresses as he went, Harm wrapped his arms around her and kissed her deeply, slipping his shaft slowly inside of her body.

Mac held tightly to him as he filled her, tilting her hips just enough to allow him to slide home, before wrapping her legs around his waist. "I love you," she whispered into his ear.

"I love you," he told her, moving his arms so that his palms rested flat against her butt, as he began to slowly thrust in and out of her, kissing the tears from her cheeks. "One more time, sweetheart…"

Mac shook her head in denial, certain she didn't have the strength left. When her body started to react to the gentle motion of his hips, she could scarcely believe that it was possible. "Harm," she said frantically, clinging to him.

"It's okay," he assured her, kissing her temple gently. Increasing the pace of his thrusts, he adjusted their bodies to just the right angle, smiling when her eyes widened in shock and she dug her fingers into his back. "That's my girl…"

The thrusting of his hips increased in speed, strength, and depth, until they were both teetering on the precipice once again.

"Harm! Oh, Harm!" Mac cried out, as she went over, her cries turning wordless as she held on to him.

With a final, deep thrust, Harm joined her and cried out her name in ecstasy, every muscle in his body tensing up as his body filled hers with his seed.

Collapsing on top of her, he rolled them just enough to keep from crushing her beneath his weight, as he held her to him.

Tenderly kissing and caressing her, it took him a moment to realize that she was sobbing quietly against him. Pulling back to look into her face, he looked at her in concern.

"Mac?" he asked softly. "Did I hurt you?" His eyes reflected his fear.

Mac shook her head, swiping at the tears with her palm. "No," she assured him. "I've never… experienced _anything_… like that before," she whispered. "I didn't know it was possible."

Harm smiled lovingly at her, caressing her cheek with his palm. "I love you," he told her.

"I know," Mac told him with a certainty she'd never known before. "I love you, too."

"You sure you're okay?" he asked gently, pulling her close to him again.

"I'm sure," she promised, closing her eyes.

Harm kissed her forehead, before closing his own eyes. "Get some sleep, Mac; we have a flight to catch in the morning."

**18:37 EST**

**Dulles International Airport**

**Washington, DC**

Harm and Mac stepped away from the departure area of the gate and took a minute to get their bearings after the long flight. Though they had slept through most of it, they still needed to pause for a moment.

"We're going to need a cab to get home," Mac said. "We can go to your place tonight, if you'd prefer."

Harm smiled, nodding. "Sounds good to me; let's go get our luggage."

They went over to baggage claim and retrieved their luggage from the carousel, Harm placing an arm around Mac's waist as they made their way towards the front of the airport.

"Once we get to my place, we're either going to have to order in for dinner, or make a run to the grocery store," Harm told her. "I emptied the place of anything perishable before I left."

"Yeah, so did I," Mac smiled. "I hate coming home to nasty smells and unknown growing things in my 'fridge."

Harm grinned, nodding in agreement.

"Harm! Mac!" they heard a male voice call. Turning to find the source, they were surprised to see Bud and Harriet making their way towards them.

"Glad you're back, sir, ma'am!" Bud said, as they came up to them. He shook Harm's hand and accepted Mac's hug.

Harriet hugged them both, holding Little AJ in one arm. "Mac, you look fabulous!"

Mac blushed and smiled. "Thank you, Harriet."

"The Admiral told us how sick you were when he saw you last," Harriet said. "I expected you to be pale and kind of frail still, but you are… glowing! I'm so glad you're okay."

Harm looked lovingly at Mac, as she blushed again at Harriet's compliment. "What brings you here?" he asked the Roberts'.

"We thought you'd need a ride home from the airport," Bud told him. "And we thought we could stop somewhere for dinner, since neither of you probably have anything edible in your refrigerators."

Mac smiled at Bud. "You would be correct," she said, looking up from where she was cooing at Little AJ, making him laugh.

"Lead the way, then," Harm said, smiling at his friend.

They made their way out to the parking area, where Bud and Harm put the luggage into the back of the minivan while Harriet and Mac got Little AJ in, before climbing in and getting themselves settled. Harriet sat in the back with Mac and AJ, while Harm climbed into the front passenger seat with Bud driving.

"Where do you want to go for dinner?" Bud asked, as he pulled out into the evening traffic.

"Pizza sounds good to me," Mac said.

"Mamma Ilardo's?" Harm suggested.

"That's fine with me," Harriet said.

"Mamma Ilardo's it is," Bud said, as they headed in that direction.

They talked companionably on the drive to the pizza parlor, Bud and Harriet waiting until they'd gotten settled in a booth and had ordered their pizza before asking them anything about their trip.

"So, tell us what happened," Harriet said, pouring some soda from the pitcher into everyone's glasses. "All the Admiral said was that you two had gotten snowed in, and that Mac had ended up with pneumonia."

Harm and Mac proceeded to tell them about their trip, leaving out the more personal details, up until their recent flight home.

"You're lucky the Commander was there, ma'am," Bud said, nodding in thanks as a teenage girl set their pizzas on the table in front of them. "You could have drowned in that pond, or died of hypothermia." He frowned slightly as something occurred to him. "How did you keep her from getting hypothermia, sir?"

Harm raised both eyebrows at Mac, who gave him a small smile and nodded. "I stripped us down to our underwear and rolled us in our blankets," he told him.

Both Bud and Harriet's eyebrows shot into their hairline, as they looked at first Mac, and then Harm.

"That must have been… interesting," Harriet said, cutting up the slice of pizza she'd been blowing on to cool off for Little AJ and giving it to her son.

Mac and Harm shared an intense look, oblivious to their two friends.

"Yeah, it was," Harm said softly, causing Mac to blush.

Harriet and Bud looked at one another and smiled widely.

"So, how have things here at home been?" Harm asked, changing the subject.

"Fine," Bud said. "We've had the usual pre-holiday chaos, but things seem to be settling down some."

Mac smiled, biting into her pizza. "Are you still having the annual get-together at your place this year?"

"Yes, ma'am," Harriet said, smiling.

"We missed out on the 'Secret Santa' drawing," Mac pouted. "You'll have to tell us who to buy for."

"Well, we weren't expecting you two to be home before Christmas, so we left your names out this year," Harriet said with an apologetic smile. "So, why don't you two buy for each other?"

"I think we can do that," Harm said with a grin.

Mac smiled, nodding in agreement. "So, what does AJ want for Christmas from Uncle Harm and Auntie Mac this year?" she asked the toddler, tickling his tummy.

AJ laughed, and then looked at Harm, reaching out for him.

Harm waited until Mac had lifted him out of the high chair and handed him over, cuddling the boy close to him. "Did you go see Santa?"

AJ nodded. "Sana scawy," he said.

"Santa's scary?" Harm asked, feigning surprise. "Nah! He's cool! Did you know that he brings you presents on Christmas?"

AJ nodded. "Daddy said."

"Did you tell him what you want?" Harm asked.

AJ nodded again. "Boat, wagon an' aiwpane," he said.

"Those are good presents," Harm nodded, smiling when AJ kissed his cheek and then reached for his mommy. As soon as Harriet had him, Harm looked at Mac, returning the soft smile she was giving him.

"The Commander's place is closer, so we should drop him off first," Bud said, as they finished eating and began gathering their belongings.

"Mac's staying with me for a few days," Harm told them. "She's still not back to a hundred percent, so I want to make sure she's being cared for."

Harriet and Bud exchanged knowing looks, but neither commented.

In less than fifteen minutes, they had dropped Harm and Mac at Harm's apartment, and were on their way back to their place.


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: This story is rated M for sexually explicit content, though this chapter is safe for all ages. THANK YOU!! to everyone that has taken time to review; it REALLY means a lot to me, and it keeps me posting! I had hoped to get this posted in time for Christmas, but it didn't work out that way, so I'm playing catch up! This story is an A/U story, so Harriet was never pregnant with Sarah, they bought the house when AJ was a toddler and there was never a Bugme or Renee. Enjoy...

**16:02 EST**

**Roberts' Residence**

**Rosslyn, VA**

**Christmas Eve**

Harm wrapped his arm around Mac's waist (his favorite thing to do as of late) and knocked on the door to Bud and Harriet's house, giving her a quick kiss before the door opened.

The last two days had been extremely busy for them, starting with having to drive down to PAX River to retrieve Harm's SUV yesterday, their first full day home.

After stopping long enough to drop Mac's corvette off at her apartment complex, they'd spent the rest of the day, and well into the evening, shopping.

Mac had wrapped presents while Harm cooked dinner, and then they had decorated the Christmas tree they'd gotten that day, before curling up on the sofa to watch the twinkling lights until they were ready to head off to bed.

The next morning (which was earlier that day), Harm and Mac had gotten up and showered together before going out to breakfast and finishing up their Christmas shopping.

They had separated for a short time, so that they could buy gifts for one another, and had met back up at a nearby restaurant for lunch, before heading back to Harm's apartment so that they could finish wrapping everything and prepare for the party that evening.

Now, here they stood, waiting for someone to answer the door.

Admiral Chegwidden opened the door, smiling at them. "Colonel, Commander, glad to see you're back safe and sound," he said, moving out of the way to allow them entrance into the house.

"Thank you, sir," they both said, smiling at each other.

"Glad you could make it," Bud said, smiling at them from where he was picking up some of Little AJ's toys. "Can I get you something to drink?"

"Eggnog would be great," Harm said.

"Ginger ale, please, Bud," Mac said, rubbing her tummy. "My stomach hasn't been too happy with me today."

Bud nodded and moved to get them their drinks, as they moved to the tree.

Mac pulled the gifts out of the bag she had carried in with her and handed them to Harm, who placed them beneath the tree and then stood.

Bud took the empty bag from Mac as he handed her ginger ale to her, and then handed Harm his eggnog. Grinning at them, he pointed above their heads. "Harriet has it all over the place, so watch where you're standing," he warned.

Mac glanced up and smiled at the festive sprig of mistletoe hanging above them. Leaning forward, she placed a tender kiss on Harm's lips, wiping the lipstick off before accepting his hand and following him to sit on the sofa.

The Admiral watched them with interest from his place in one of the recliners, smiling to himself. "So," he said, as they sat down. "I take it there's been a status change in your relationship?"

Harm glanced at Mac, his small smile mirroring her own. "Yes, sir," he said.

"Will this change require one of you needing to leave us?" he asked.

"Eventually, sir," Harm said. "For now, I think that we can maintain our current level of professionalism and not disrupt the day to day operations."

"Good," AJ said, nodding. "Let me know when one of you will need to transfer, and I'll see what I can do."

"Thank you, sir," they said in unison.

AJ smiled at them. "I'm happy for you," he said.

"Thank you, sir," Mac said, as Harm nodded in agreement. "I'm going to go see if Harriet needs any help in the kitchen," Mac told Harm. "Why don't you see what you can do to help Bud?"

He nodded, watching her as she moved to the kitchen.

"How's she doing?" AJ asked.

"Almost back to normal," Harm told him. "She has to take antibiotics for a few more weeks, and follow up with her doctor at Bethesda, but she's come a long way in a short time."

"Glad to hear it," AJ said. "So you'll both be ready to return to duty after the New Year?"

"Yes, sir," Harm said. "Thank you for the time; I really appreciate it."

"Well, I knew you'd be useless to me as long as you were worried about her," AJ told him, smiling slightly. "Figured it would save me a lot of headaches in the long run."

Harm chuckled. "Thank you, just the same, sir."

Someone else knocked at the door and AJ stood to answer it, so Harm got up and went to see how he could help Bud.

**18:47 EST**

**Roberts' Residence**

**Rosslyn, VA**

Loren Singer stood amongst a group of women, watching as Mac sat on the floor with a blindfold covering her eyes, laughing merrily as all of the children giggled while trying to avoid being caught by her.

"She doesn't look like someone who almost died three weeks ago, does she?" she asked Senator Bobbie Latham.

"No," Bobbie said. "In fact, she looks stunning."

"I swear she is absolutely glowing," Jackie Mattoni said.

"I think Commander Rabb has a lot to do with that," Caroline Imes said, grinning.

"Oh?" Bobbie asked, raising an eyebrow. "How so?"

"Haven't you seen how close they've been all night? I saw them on the way back downstairs, when they got caught under the mistletoe, and the kiss they gave each other was far more than what 'just friends' would," she said.

"You think they're sleeping together?" Jackie asked, surprised.

Caroline nodded to Harm, who was watching the game with a small smile on his face. The look he was giving Mac was intense, and filled with love. "Oh, yeah."

Mac caught Alan and Jackie's youngest daughter around the waist, hugging her to her as she pulled the blindfold off. "Oh! I caught one! Do I get to take this one home?" she asked, kissing the laughing little girl on the cheek.

"Nooo!" the other children chorused.

"I can't?" Mac asked, feigning disappointment. "What will you give me to let her go?"

"We don't have anything," Alan and Jackie's son said.

"Then you'll all just have to give me a kiss," Mac declared, just before the children all ran over and wrapped their arms around her, kissing her as she laughed. As soon as the last child gave her a kiss, she opened her arms wide and professed that the little girl was now free to go.

"It's time for dessert!" Harriet announced from the kitchen doorway, causing all the children to cheer excitedly as they hurried towards her.

Mac smiled as she watched them go, standing up quickly. A wave of dizziness swept over her, and she nearly fainted.

Harm saw her and moved with lightning quick reflexes to catch her. "Mac?" he asked, concerned. He helped her over to the sofa and sat down beside her, still holding on to her.

"I'm okay," Mac said breathlessly. "Just got a little dizzy. It's kind of warm in here; where's my ginger ale?"

Harm grabbed the glass from the coffee table and handed it to her, watching her with concerned eyes.

"You sure you're all right, Mac?" Admiral Chegwidden asked.

Mac sipped at the cold drink and then nodded. "I'm fine, sir," she said. "Really. Thank you."

AJ nodded and looked at all of the concerned faces in the room. "Okay, people, let's give her some space. Harriet said something about dessert?"

All the men began heading towards the kitchen, while the women watched Harm and Mac with interest for a moment more, before following their husbands and/or dates.

"_Definitely_ sleeping together," Loren Singer whispered to the other women, just before they moved into the kitchen.

**00:12 EST**

**Vietnam War Memorial Wall**

**Washington, DC**

Harm stood silently before the wall, gingerly tracing his father's name with his fingertips before he turned and took Mac's hand, pulling her close to him, wrapping his arm around her waist and kissing her temple.

"Dad," he said, "this is Mac. I want you to know that I love her very much, so if you could, would you please watch over her for me?"

Mac smiled up at him, before tracing the name with her own gloved fingers. "Hello, sir," she said softly. "I wanted to thank you for this wonderful man that you helped bring into the world. I love him very much, too, and would appreciate it if you'd continue to watch over him for me."

Harm moved to stand behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and kissing her cheek. They stood there for several moments in silence before Harm pulled away. They both snapped off a salute, and then Harm led her back to where they'd parked his SUV and they headed back to his apartment.

After they had gotten upstairs and put their coats away, they both changed out of their uniforms and sat down on the sofa in front of the Christmas tree.

"You doing okay?" Harm asked her, tracing his finger along her cheek.

Mac smiled at him, nodding and resisting the urge to roll her eyes. "I'm fine."

After her near-fainting spell, Harm had hovered over her the whole rest of the night, insisting that he wait on her hand and foot.

Mac had tried her best to be patient with him, but had finally put her foot down when they got to the chapel for the Christmas Eve service; especially because they were in uniform.

"I'm sorry I was driving you crazy tonight," Harm said. "You just scared me half to death when you nearly passed out. Is that the first time you've gotten dizzy like that?"

Mac winced and shook her head. "No, it's not," she admitted quietly. "The first time was at the hotel, after I'd taken my medicine and was getting ready to go take my bath. Then again when I was shopping the other day and now tonight. I'm sure it's nothing to worry about," she told him. "It could be from my medicine, or it could be because I'm still not completely well after being so sick. I promise to ask my doctor about it when I see her next week."

Harm nodded, though he was still worried about her. "Promise me you'll take it easy and be careful?"

"I promise," Mac said, smiling. She leaned forward and kissed him tenderly. "It's technically Christmas morning now… can we open our presents?"

Harm chuckled, pulling her to him for a warm hug. "Okay."

"Yes!" Mac whispered, making a fist and pulling it towards her. Moving to the tree, she handed Harm a large, heavy box and found one for herself, before resuming her seat on the sofa. "You go first."

Harm unwrapped the box and then carefully lifted the lid on it, smiling in surprise. It was a large, very nice coffee table book titled 'A History of Naval Aviation'. "It's perfect," he said, running his palm along the cover. "Thank you."

Mac smiled at him. "You're welcome," she said.

Harm nodded to her to open her present.

Mac examined the nearly square, very heavy item, before she ripped open the paper and smiled in surprise. It was an encyclopedia for amateur paleontologists. She flipped through it for a few moments, and then set it on the table and kissed Harm tenderly. "I love it," she said. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," he said.

They opened the rest of their gifts, each time thanking the other person and kissing each other, until finally, Harm swallowed and pulled a small, square box from the pocket of the shirt he was wearing and held it in his palm in front of Mac.

Mac's eyes widened and she looked at Harm nervously. The look on his face did little to reassure her, as she took the small box in her shaking hands and slowly lifted the lid.

A gorgeous gold and diamond ring lay nestled inside the box.

It was a chevron shaped ring with two rows of four diamonds each, channel set on either side of a large marquise cut diamond, with a ribbon of gold and four smaller diamonds channel set inside of it running diagonally across the marquise diamond.

It was simply breathtaking.

"Oh, Harm…" Mac breathed, as Harm slipped from the sofa to kneel in front of Mac, taking her left hand in both of his.

"Mac," he said, clearly nervous. "I love you. Please do me the greatest honor, and become my wife?"

Mac's eyes had filled with tears, as he spoke. Looking into his eyes, she smiled at him as a tear ran down her cheek and she nodded. "Yes…" she said softly. "Yes!"

Harm took the box from her and carefully removed the ring, placing it tenderly onto the ring finger of her left hand before pulling her to him for a passionate, loving kiss.


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: This story is rated M for explicit sexual content. DO NOT read if you are underage, or such material offends you! THANK YOU! to those that have submitted reviews!! They are appreciated, and they keep me motivated to keep posting! The song mentioned is sung (at least this version) by Leanne Rimes. I do not own it, or JAG, and no infringement is intended. Enjoy...

**01:03 EST**

**Rabb Residence**

**North of Union Station**

As they separated from the intense kiss, Mac caressed Harm's cheek with her left hand, smiling as the lights of the Christmas tree reflected off the diamonds in her ring. "I love you," she said softly.

"I love you, too," he said.

"Are you tired?" she asked him.

Harm shook his head 'no'. Truth be told, he was much too excited to sleep. "We don't have to be anywhere tomorrow, do we?"

"Nope," Mac smiled. "We can spend the whole day in bed if we want to."

Harm grinned. "Sounds good to me."

"I have one more surprise for you," she said. "I was going to wait until tomorrow, but now is a good time. Be back in a few minutes," she said, kissing him again. "Why don't you turn on some Christmas music?"

"Okay…" Harm said. He watched curiously as Mac headed for the bedroom, before standing and moving to the stereo to turn on a Christmas CD, pushing 'random play' before placing all of their gifts back under the tree, cleaning up the wrapping paper, and then taking his seat on the sofa again. "Mac?" he called.

"Almost ready," she called. "Are you sitting down?"

Harm raised an eyebrow at the question. "Yes."

The CD player clicked, and the strains of Leanne Rimes' rendition of 'All I Want for Christmas Is You' began.

"Oh! That's perfect!" Mac laughed, flipping out the bedroom light and moving to the top of the stairs that led to Harm's bedroom.

Harm's breath caught in his throat and his jeans immediately became far too tight, as he stared at Mac with his mouth hanging slightly open. Mac was wearing the sexiest 'Santa' outfit he'd ever seen in his life.

The top was a bikini-style top made from a red velvet material, trimmed in white feathers. The 'straps' were made of glass beads threaded together and when Mac turned her back for a moment, Harm could see that they were gathered together at the middle of her back with a gold loop.

The bottom was a very short wrap-style skirt, that barely covered her. It was gathered on one side, slightly open, and held together with a furry white tie. It, too, was trimmed in white feathers.

On her head, she wore a matching 'Santa' hat, and on her feet, she wore three-inch, strappy red silk shoes with a heart shaped crystal in the middle of her foot, where the straps all came together.

Harm suddenly found the room way too warm, and his throat constricted, as Mac sauntered towards him singing along with the sexy tune on the radio, twirling and dancing, and winking at him every now and then.

As the tune came to an end, she slid her hands up his chest, wrapping her arms around his neck as she straddled his lap.

"… 'cause all I want for Christmas… is… you…" she sang the final strains close to his lips, before capturing them with her own.

Harm wrapped his arms around her and deepened the kiss, forcing his tongue hungrily into her warm, wet mouth. When they finally separated, breathing heavily, Harm stared into her eyes for just a moment. "I want you," he breathed, before pulling her eagerly to him again.

Mac ground her hips against his, moaning softly into his mouth.

Harm stood, still holding her to him as she wrapped her legs around his waist. He continued to kiss her as he made his way to the bedroom, gently placing her into the center of his bed and covering her body with his, touching and caressing every inch of her with his opened palms. Finally pulling away, he moved his kisses down the side of her neck to her shoulder and back again, before switching sides and repeating his actions.

Mac arched against him, moving her hands between them to begin unbuttoning his shirt. Pushing the material from his shoulders, she smiled as he quickly finished removing it, tossing it somewhere behind him before kissing her again, while she tugged his t-shirt from the waistband of his jeans and got to work on unbuttoning them.

Harm left her long enough to pull the t-shirt over his head, tossing it to the floor with his other shirt, as Mac finished unbuttoning his jeans and began pushing them off of him. He stood up long enough to divest himself of the rest of his clothing, stretching out on top of her again. He groaned when she rubbed against him, the velvety material and feathers of her outfit tickling his skin.

Reaching behind her, he frowned when he couldn't find the clasp for the top she wore. He raised an eyebrow when she laughed merrily, pushing slightly on his chest until he raised up enough for her to reach between them. Grabbing the red glass jewel where the top came together, she gave a flick of her fingers and the clasp popped open, releasing her full breasts from the confines of the bra-like top.

"Show off," he murmured, grinning, as he pushed the material out of the way and pulled a taut nipple into his mouth, sucking greedily.

Mac arched into him again, moaning softly. She reached between them and grasped his hardened length, rubbing slowly up and down in long, gentle strokes.

Harm placed a hand on hers, stilling her movements. He looked into her eyes and sighed softly. "Not yet…" he whispered.

Mac nodded, running her palms up his chest to tangle her fingers in his hair, pulling his mouth back to hers.

Harm rolled slightly off of her, running his palm down her body, over her flat stomach to the tie at the side of her skirt. When he released the tie, the skirt fell away and Harm pulled her to him and rolled them so that he could finish removing the skimpy outfit and the red silk thong beneath it, tossing it to the floor with his own clothing.

He rolled them back over, so that she was again flat on the bed, before kissing his way down her body to the warm, moist curls between her legs. Gently pushing her legs apart, he licked at her swollen clit, smiling when she gave out a cry and lifted her hips from the bed, reaching down to wrap her hands in his hair again. He licked and sucked at her engorged clit until her whole body tensed and she cried out in pleasure, then he kissed his way back up her body, stopping to lavish attention on each full breast, before kissing her deeply as he thrust himself into her.

He started out slowly, but quickly picked up the pace at Mac's urging. Her cries drove him forward, until he couldn't wait another moment.

"Harm… faster… harder… oh! Yes! Harder… oh, god… deeper, Harm! Yes! Don't stop! Oh~ Harm!"

His body tensed as he gave a final thrust, filling her body with his seed as he cried out her name in pleasure, vaguely aware of her screaming his own name.

When they finally came down from the adrenaline high, Harm rolled them slightly so as not to crush her, pulling the comforter up and around them both.

"I love you," he whispered against her forehead.

"Mmm… love you, too," Mac murmured, before sleep finally claimed her.

**09:43 EST**

**Rabb Home**

**North of Union Station**

**Christmas Day**

Harm frowned as he groggily opened his eyes when he heard voices. He was still wrapped around Mac, with the comforter wrapped around them both.

Mac had woken him around 05:30 with soft, moist kisses and they had spent over two hours making love again, before wrapping around each other and falling into an exhausted sleep.

Lifting his head, his eyes widened as he saw Bud, Harriet, and Admiral Chegwidden standing in his bedroom doorway with surprised looks on their faces.

"Bud? Harriet? _Sir_?" Harm asked, clearly confused and thinking it might be a dream. "Is something wrong?"

"Oh, Harm! Thank God you two are all right!" Harriet said, bursting into tears.

Bud put a comforting arm around his wife.

Mac opened her eyes and blinked up at Harm. "What's going on?" she asked, confused when Harm tightened his hold on her when she tried to get up.

"Commander, Colonel," AJ Chegwidden said. "If you two would be so kind as to join us in the living room, we need to speak with you." His eyes fell on the skimpy costume Mac had worn the night before, that was now thrown on the floor with Harm's clothing, and he snapped his eyes straight ahead, not wanting to give his imagination a chance to picture her in it.

Mac's head snapped around at the sound of her Commanding Officer's voice, eyes wide as she took everything in.

"Yes, sir," they said in unison.

"We'll be right out," Harm told them.

Bud led a still crying Harriet down the steps to the living area, with the Admiral following right behind them.

"What's going on?" Mac whispered, as Harm began to untangle them from the comforter.

"I'm not sure," he whispered back. "I woke up and they were here. They seemed rather relieved to see us here, though… Harriet said something about us being all right, just before she started to cry."

They climbed out of the bed and quickly pulled on some clothing.

Harm pulled on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, while Mac opted for a pair of sweats.

"It's freezing in here!" she hissed, as she pulled on a pair of socks and put her slippers on.

Harm winced, nodding. "I'll turn the heater up and make some coffee. Hurry out."

Mac's head bobbed in understanding, as she went into the bathroom. After using the toilet, washing her hands, and running her brush through her hair, she made her way out to the living room, surprised when Harriet immediately pulled her into a warm hug.

"I'm so glad you're both okay," she cried softly.

Mac, confused, hugged her back. "Of course we're okay, Harriet. Why wouldn't we be?"

Harm motioned for everyone to be seated. The Admiral took a seat in one of the chairs, while Bud and Harriet sat on the sofa. Harm sat in the chair across from the Admiral, and Mac slid onto his lap so that she was facing Bud and Harriet, one arm around Harm.

"I received a call this morning from Virginia State Police saying that a gold-tone Lexus had been found in a ravine early this morning. The vehicle flipped over and caught fire, and neither of the two occupants survived," AJ told them. "They traced the license plate to you, Commander, and when they couldn't reach you by telephone, they called me."

Harm and Mac looked shocked by this news, and then Harm frowned, looking at Mac. "I haven't heard the phone, have you?"

Mac shook her head, obviously shaken by the news.

"I contacted Lt. Roberts and we began trying to reach either of you," AJ said. "Your home phone is busy, and both of your cell phones are going straight to voicemail, so we headed over here. Your Lexus isn't parked downstairs, so we didn't expect to find you here. But I'm glad that we did."

Harm looked at the phone on his desk, frowning. "My cell phone is turned off, but I can't imagine why my home phone is busy." Then he groaned. "Someone stole my car? _Again_?"

Mac's eyes widened and she covered her mouth with her palm. "I kicked the phone on the night table this morning when you…" she trailed off, glancing at their guests. "I must have knocked it off of the base."

Harm blushed, but nodded. "Is your cell phone off?" he asked her.

She stood and moved to her purse, pulling out her phone. "Battery's dead," she sighed. "I forgot to plug it in before I went to sleep last night."

Harm recalled the previous night, and blushed again. "We're very sorry that you had to go to all of this trouble," he told them. "Especially on Christmas Day."

"We're just glad that you're alive and well," AJ said.

Mac had moved back over to where they were, and she smiled at the Admiral. "Thank you, Sir," she said, sitting back down on Harm's lap. She reached up to brush her hair from her face, freezing when Harriet gasped suddenly. "What?"

"Mac!" Harriet exclaimed, scooting forward enough on the sofa to grab her left hand. "You weren't wearing this at the party last night!"

Mac looked at Harm sheepishly, relaxing when he smiled at her, giving her a wink and a small nod. "I got it after we got home last night," she said, looking at Harm again. "Harm asked me to marry him last night, and I said yes."

Bud and the Admiral both broke into wide grins, murmuring 'Congratulations', as Harriet squealed happily and stood, pulling Mac up into a tight hug.

"I'm so happy for you two!" she said. "This is wonderful!" Releasing Mac, she leaned down and hugged Harm.

Mac smiled as Bud stood and hugged her, before shaking Harm's hand, followed by the Admiral. When the congratulatory hugs and handshakes were finished and they were all seated again, Mac resumed her place on Harm's lap.

"Have you set a date yet?" Harriet asked.

Mac shook her head. "Not yet. We'll let you know as soon as we do," she promised. "Guess that means one of us will have to transfer out of JAG," she said to the Admiral.

AJ nodded slowly. "Yes, I guess it does. Either of you have a preference as to where you go?"

"Well, Sir," Harm said. "We'd like to stay in the same zip code, but other than that, I'm open to whatever you think is best."

Mac nodded. "I agree."

AJ smiled broadly. "Good. I'll see what I can find."

"Thank you, Sir," they said in unison.

"Well, I'm sure Bud and Harriet would like to get back to Little AJ, since it is Christmas morning," AJ said, standing. "We'll leave you two alone. Commander, I'll contact the Virginia State Police and let them know that the occupants were not you or the Colonel, and have them contact you. I'm sure your insurance company will want lots of paperwork filled out before they issue you a check for a new vehicle."

"I'm sure they will," Harm agreed with a tight smile as Mac stood, to allow him to stand as well. "I appreciate that, Sir. Thank you; for everything."

"My pleasure, Commander," AJ said. "Like I said, I'm just happy to know that my senior attorneys are alive and well."

They walked everyone to the door and said their goodbyes. As soon as they had all gone, Harm pulled Mac to him in a tight embrace.

"Hey," she said, frowning slightly. He was shaking. "What's wrong?"

"I'm just glad that you're okay… that _we're_ okay," he said. "I'm relieved that we weren't in the Lexus when it went over that ravine."

Mac pulled back and looked into his eyes, nodding. "Me, too." She pulled him to her for a kiss, molding her body to his. "Take me back to bed, Sailor," she whispered.

Harm smiled at her, lifting her into his arms and carrying her up to the bedroom.


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: This fic is rated M, but this part is safe for anyone. THANK YOU! to those that have posted reviews, I really, really appreciate them, even if I don't get to respond individually to each one. They keep me motivated! Enjoy...

**13:21 EST**

**Bethesda Naval Hospital**

**Bethesda, MD**

**Three Days Later**

Mac smiled at Harm as she sat on the exam table, her legs swinging, as they waited for the doctor to come in and examine her. They only had to wait ten minutes.

The doctor knocked on the door before entering and closing it again. Looking up from Mac's file, she smiled at her. "Good afternoon, Sarah," she said. "I got your records from St. Mary's; you were a very sick young woman for awhile there."

Mac nodded. "I feel much better, though," she said. "Dr. Libman, this is my fiancé, Commander Harmon Rabb. Harm, this is Dr. Libman."

"Nice to meet you," Dr. Libman smiled at Harm, shaking his hand. "Congratulations."

"Thank you," Harm and Mac said in unison, smiling at each other.

"Let's have a look at you, then," Dr. Libman said, putting the stethoscope to her ears and listening to Mac's lungs and heart. She then checked her ears, nose, throat and eyes. "Still coughing?" she asked.

"Hardly at all," Mac replied.

"Still taking your medications?" Dr. Libman asked, as she had her lie back.

"Every day, right on schedule," Mac told her.

"Good," Dr. Libman smiled, pressing on Mac's abdomen. When she got to her lower abdomen, she frowned slightly. "Any nausea? Vomiting? Dizziness?"

"I've had a couple of dizzy spells," she told her. "Nothing too serious."

"Tell me about them," she said, as she palpitated Mac's breasts.

Mac told her about the first three times she'd gotten dizzy, and about the incident yesterday.

She and Harm had been eating breakfast, when she got up to get some milk from the refrigerator. She had gotten dizzy and dropped her glass, causing it to shatter, and Harm, in his haste to grab Mac before she hit the floor, ended up cutting his bare foot on one of the shards. Mac had felt terrible about it, but Harm had assured her that he was fine, and was more concerned about her.

Dr. Libman nodded, helping her to sit back up. "When was the first day of your last period?"

"November 21st," Mac told her. "I'm actually almost a week overdue, but since there's a good possibility that I'm pregnant, I'm not too worried about it."

"Have you done a home pregnancy test?" Dr. Libman asked.

Mac shook her head. "No… I would only be about four weeks along. I don't think the home tests can tell you that soon, can they?"

"The new ones are usually pretty accurate after the first day you've missed your period," Dr. Libman told her. "But I'll do a blood test, just to be sure. They are the most accurate this early."

Mac smiled at her, nodding.

"Your lungs sound great; nice and clear, just like we want," Dr. Libman told her. "I'm going to have you do one more series of antibiotics, just to be safe, but you won't need the cough medicine anymore, unless you start to cough again… then I want you back here immediately. I'll send Ellen in to draw your blood and put a stat order on it, so we can tell you before you leave for sure if you're pregnant."

"I'd appreciate that," Mac said. "I've been a bit worried about how all of these medicines could affect the baby, if I am pregnant. What are the chances of there being problems?"

"It's hard to say, Sarah," Dr. Libman told her. "Your OB/GYN will be able to better answer those questions. Let's just find out for sure whether or not you are pregnant, and go from there, okay?"

Mac smiled tightly, nodding. "Okay."

Dr. Libman left the room, and a few minutes later the nurse returned to draw blood. "Why don't you go ahead and get dressed, and wait out in the waiting room? I'll call you back once the results come in."

"Would it be okay if we went to get some lunch while we wait?" Mac asked. "I'm really hungry."

Ellen smiled at her, nodding. "That'll be fine. Just let the receptionist know that I'm expecting you, when you come back."

"Thanks," Mac said.

Ellen nodded her head and left them alone.

"Let me get dressed and we can go find someplace for lunch," Mac told Harm.

Harm smiled at her, though the smile didn't reach his eyes.

"Hey," Mac said, concerned. "What is it?"

"Nothing, Mac," he said, brushing it off. "Let's go eat, huh?"

Mac nodded, frowning slightly, before getting up and getting dressed again. When she was ready, she took his hand in hers and led him from the room.

**15:03 EST**

**Bethesda Naval Hospital**

**Bethesda, MD**

Harm and Mac took a seat in front of Dr. Libman's desk, waiting for her to finish with the paperwork in front of her. When she'd finished, she looked up at them and smiled at Mac.

"Well my dear," she said. "You are definitely pregnant."

Harm's eyes widened in disbelief, as Mac's face lit up into a wide smile.

"This is wonderful!" Mac said, taking Harm's hand in hers.

Harm smiled broadly, nodding.

Dr. Libman sobered slightly. "I have to warn you that about twenty-five percent of all pregnancies miscarry in the first three months," she said. "You said you're about four weeks, so that means you have about eight more weeks to go before your chances of miscarriage drop to under five percent. You need to make an appointment with an OB/GYN as soon as possible, as well. I'll go ahead and write you a couple of prescriptions for prenatal vitamins and folic acid; your OB will write you refills when you need them. Do you have any questions for me, right now?"

"Um, what about… sex?" Mac asked, blushing slightly as she glanced at Harm.

"As long as you are comfortable, don't have any cramping or bleeding, and feel well enough, it's fine," she assured them. "Any other questions?"

"None that I can think of," Mac said, having sobered somewhat herself.

"Try not to get too stressed out, eat right and get plenty of rest, and you'll go a long way to ensuring that you carry this baby to term," Dr. Libman told her, smiling again.

"I will," Mac promised. She stood, shaking the doctor's hand. "Thank you."

"My pleasure," Dr. Libman said, accepting Harm's handshake and thanks as well.

They left the doctor's office, walking hand in hand down the halls. Once they were outside, standing beside the rental car, Mac pulled Harm to her and kissed him soundly. When they broke the kiss, she smiled broadly at him. "You're going to be a daddy," she said softly.

Harm smiled at her, hugging her to him so she wouldn't see the tears that had gathered in his eyes. Despite how thrilled he was at the idea, he couldn't help but focus on what the doctor had said: "twenty-five percent of all pregnancies miscarry in the first three months". True, he was a master at beating the odds, but would the fates remain favorable to him this time? God, he hoped so.

He helped Mac into the car and then climbed into the driver's side, starting the car and heading towards his apartment.

"We should probably wait until after my twelfth week to tell anyone, huh?" Mac asked hesitantly. "Just in case…"

Harm nodded. "That would probably be best."

"It's going to be so hard not to tell anyone!" she said. "I want the whole world to know that I am having your baby." She smiled at him, leaning over to kiss his cheek. "Harriet told us all when she was only six or eight weeks along…"

Harm nodded once in agreement. "Whatever you think is best, Mac."

Mac suddenly got very quiet, staring intently at him. "Aren't you happy about this?" she asked softly, her eyes filling with tears.

Harm glanced at her, seeing how distraught she was. Pulling to the side of the road, he pulled her into his arms. "I'm thrilled," he told her. "Beyond thrilled… I'm just a bit concerned, that's all. Besides, it hasn't really set in yet, you know? I promise you, Mac, I am ecstatic at the idea that we're going to have a baby."

Mac pulled away, looking into his eyes. The truth was always in his eyes. Relieved when she saw that he wasn't lying to her, she kissed him tenderly. "I love you."

"I love you, too," he said, caressing her face with his palm. "Just give me some time to get used to the idea, okay?"

"Okay," she nodded, kissing him again. "Just don't take too long… we have eight months to be ready for this."

Harm smiled at that. "Got it." He released her and restarted the car, pulling back onto the road.

"What are our plans for New Year's Eve?" Mac asked.

"Hmm… don't know yet, why?"

"There's a party at Benzinger's," Mac told him. "Most of the JAG staff will be there, so I thought we could go, too. If that's okay with you."

"Sounds good to me," he said, smiling at her.

"I'll let Harriet know we're coming," she told him.

They drove in silence for awhile, before Harm broached the subject on his mind. "Mac… would you consider moving in with me?"

Mac looked at him, surprised. "Really? You wouldn't mind?"

"Mind?" he asked her. "Of course not! I want to be with you as much as possible, and it would be easier if we just had one apartment. Besides, I want to be a part of this pregnancy every step of the way."

Mac sighed happily. "I'd love to. When do you want to start moving me in?"

"Today's as good a day as any," he grinned at her. "Unless you're too tired?"

"No," Mac said, shaking her head. "Not too tired at all."

"Good," he said. "We'll stop and buy some boxes, and head to your place."

"Let's get to it," she replied, grinning. Her life was finally coming together, just the way she'd always wanted it.

**22:36 EST**

**Benzinger's **

**Washington, DC**

**New Year's Eve**

Harm and Mac entered Benzinger's, scanning the crowd for their friends and co-workers. Finally spotting the majority of them around several tables in the back, they made their way over, greeting everyone with hugs and handshakes.

"Happy New Year!" Harriet exclaimed, smiling broadly as she hugged them both. "Are you going to make the big announcement tonight?" she quietly asked them both.

Harm and Mac looked at each other, surprised.

"How did you find out?" Mac asked.

"You told Bud, the Admiral and me on Christmas Day, remember?" Harriet asked, confused.

"Oh!" Mac said, eyes wide as she looked at Harm sheepishly. With their other 'big news,' they hadn't realized that Harriet was talking about their engagement. "Yes, of course we are," she said, after getting an approving nod from Harm.

Harriet raised an eyebrow, but shrugged it off. "Good!" she said happily, bustling away to disappear through the crowd.

Harm looked at Mac after they watched her go. "What is she up to?" he asked warily.

Mac smiled at him. "You know Harriet," she told him, winking. "She's always got something up her sleeve."

"Harm? Would you like a beer?" Bud asked, handing a mug full of the frothy drink to his friend.

"Thanks," Harm smiled. "Mac? What would you like?"

"Ginger ale," Mac said, giving him a pointed look.

"Coming right up," he said, setting his beer on the table and moving towards the bar.

"How has your week been?" Bud asked her, sitting across from her after she'd sat down.

"Busy," she smiled. "We're packing up my apartment and moving me into Harm's."

Bud grinned happily, as Harm returned with a ginger ale for Mac, setting it in front of her and kissing her tenderly.

As Harm took a seat beside Mac, he picked up his beer and took a long drink.

"If you're not busy tomorrow," Mac said to Bud, "we could really use some help with the move. Most of my stuff is going into storage, since Harm already has a fully functioning household. I've moved most of what I want at his place over there over the last three days."

"Harriet and I would be glad to help," Bud told her. "I'm sure we could get some others to help as well."

"That would be great," Harm said, smiling at his friend. "I wasn't looking forward to moving all of that furniture myself."

Bud was about to comment about Mac being able to help, when Harriet returned, a wide grin on her face. She set her drink on the table and sat beside her husband.

"What are we talking about?" she asked.

"We're going to help Harm and Mac move Mac's things into storage tomorrow," Bud told her. "I told them we could probably get some others from JAG to help as well."

"You're moving in with Harm?" Harriet asked, pleased.

"Already have," Mac smiled. "Just need to store the big stuff and the boxes full of things I don't need right now. At some point I may give most of it to Goodwill, or sell it, but for now, it's going into storage."

"We'll be happy to help," Harriet assured them.

Around 23:30, Harriet looked around to be sure that everyone was there. When she was satisfied, she went to speak to the manager, before coming back and gathering the JAG staff together. Standing on a chair, she called them all to attention.

"Harm and Mac have an announcement to make, so listen up, people!" she said, waving Harm and Mac forward.

Harm put his arm around Mac's waist, smiling at the crowd. He looked to Mac for her permission, and when she nodded, he cleared his throat. "Mac has agreed to become my wife," he said.

There were cheers and clapping, as everyone moved forward to offer congratulations, and then Harriet cleared a path through the crowd as a large cake was wheeled out on a table. It had the Navy emblem in the top left corner, the Marine Corps emblem in the top right corner, and the JAG emblem in the center, with "Congratulations Harm and Mac" written across the bottom, with wedding bells in the bottom right corner and wedding rings entwined together in the bottom left corner.

"Harm and Mac, sitting in a tree," Harriet began, grinning as the rest of the JAG staff merrily joined in, "K-I-S-S-I-N-G. First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes a baby in a ba-by carriage!"

Everyone cheered as Harm pulled Mac to him and kissed her soundly. When they pulled away, they were laughing and blushing.

Harriet handed Mac the knife, telling her that they had to cut the cake together.

"We'd better set a date soon, if we're going to keep it in the right order," Mac said softly to Harm, as he took her hand in his to help her cut the cake.

Harm laughed, nodding, unaware that Harriet had heard her.

Harriet's mouth dropped open in shock, as Harm and Mac cut the cake together. Quickly pulling herself together, she moved in to serve the cake, making sure that Harm and Mac got to share the first piece.

Everyone had just finished their cake, and the champagne was passed around, when it was time for the countdown to midnight.

Mac took her empty champagne glass and poured her ginger ale into it, as they all began to count down from ten.

"~ 5~ 4~ 3~ 2~ 1! HAPPY NEW YEAR!" everyone shouted, cheering. Some blew little horns, and confetti flew everywhere.

Harm had pulled Mac to him for a deep, loving kiss when they'd reached one. Releasing her, he held his glass to hers. "To new beginnings," he said, smiling.

Mac clinked her glass against his as they drank their drinks, and then pulled him in for another kiss.

"Happy New Year, daddy," she said into his ear, causing Harm's grin to get even wider.


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: This story is rated M for explicit sexual content. DO NOT read this if you are underage, or if such material is offensive to you. As always, THANK YOU to everyone that has posted a review! I greatly appreciate them, and they keep me motivated to keep writing! This story is just about to wrap up (maybe one or two more chapters), but a sequel is in the works! Enjoy...

**10:37 EST**

**Mac's Apartment**

**Georgetown**

**New Year's Day**

Bud, Harriet, Admiral Chegwidden and Sturgis Turner all showed up at Mac's apartment to help with the move. Mac opened the door to allow each person into the apartment as they arrived, smiling and thanking them for their help.

As soon as everyone had arrived, and Harm had moved the rental truck as close as he could to the front of the building, he began telling them which items needed to be moved into the truck first.

"What can I do to help?" Mac asked him.

Harm gave her a stern look. "_You_ find a place to sit and stay there," he told her. "Absolutely _no_ heavy lifting."

Mac became indignant. "I will not! Harm, I am perfectly capable of helping!"

"Mac," Harm said, pulling her towards the kitchen where they were less likely to be overheard, while AJ and Sturgis moved the large dresser from the bedroom down to the truck. "Your doctor said that you're most likely to miscarry in the first twelve weeks, so there is no way I want you to take any chances by doing any kind of heavy lifting! Please?" he pleaded with her.

Mac softened at the look in his eyes; she could tell he was really worried by this. "Okay," she agreed. "But you have to let me do something… everyone will get suspicious if I don't help in some way."

"You can carry some of the boxes down that aren't too heavy," he told her. "I figure it will take an hour and a half to two hours to get everything loaded into the truck from here, and then moved from the truck into the storage unit. If you help us out by loading some of the boxes, you can head over to my place and either make lunch for everybody as a 'thank you' for helping us out. That will get you out of having to do any heavy lifting, without raising any eyebrows."

Mac smiled and kissed him tenderly. "You really thought this through."

Harm nodded, hugging her close for just a moment longer. "I don't want to take any chances, Mac."

"All right," Mac agreed. "Let's get a move on, Squid."

Mac picked up one of the lighter boxes from the kitchen and carried it down to the truck. She kept her promise to Harm, not lifting anything that might be too heavy, staying just long enough to avoid any suspicion about her lack of helping out. Then she announced that she was heading over to Harm's place to get lunch situated for everyone, stopping long enough to give Harm a deep, loving kiss before she left.

Harriet, of course, had noticed that Mac was only lifting the lighter boxes and that she ducked out early, and she smiled broadly as she picked up another box and carried it downstairs.

Soon they had the truck loaded, so Harm gave them directions to the storage unit where they would all meet up to unload the truck.

"Next time, I'm hiring movers!" Harm grunted, as he and Sturgis carried Mac's sofa into the storage unit and set it up on end in a corner.

"That would probably be a good idea, sir," Harriet said, as she covered the sofa with a plastic tarp to protect it.

They quickly unloaded the truck, filling the small storage unit to near capacity, before Harm told them all to meet back at his apartment.

"Mac should have lunch waiting," he said. "Sturgis and I will be along as soon as we return the truck to the rental place."

**12:58 EST**

**Harm and Mac's Apartment**

**North of Union Station**

**New Year's Day**

Mac had set the table and gotten lunch ready while she waited for everyone to arrive. She was moving about the apartment, humming happily, when there was a knock on the door and she went to open it, first making sure it was who she thought it was.

"Come in," she smiled, stepping out of the way to allow everyone to enter. She poked her head out to look for Harm and Sturgis, before coming in and closing the door.

"Commander Rabb and Commander Turner went to return the rental truck," Bud told her.

Mac smiled in understanding and nodded. "Well, lunch is ready, so we're just waiting on them," she said. "Have a seat; can I get anyone something to drink?"

"Beer, if you have it," AJ said.

"I'll have one, too, please," Bud said.

"Just water for me," Harriet replied.

Mac moved to the kitchen and retrieved two bottles of beer and a bottle of water, handing them to her guests before sitting down on the chair opposite AJ. "Who's keeping Little AJ today?" she asked Bud and Harriet.

"Mikey is visiting, so he volunteered to sit for us," Bud told her. "They have a lot of fun together."

Mac smiled and nodded.

"So, have the two of you made any wedding plans yet?" Harriet asked.

"No," Mac replied, shaking her head. "We haven't really had the time. We've been busy since we got back from Reno. I think we're going to wait a couple of weeks, until we've settled back in at work, before we start worrying about the wedding."

"That's understandable," Bud smiled. "Things at JAG have been busy, but strangely quiet, with both you and the Commander gone."

Mac chuckled. "I bet."

"I'm going to have both you and Commander Rabb take a turn sitting on the Bench once you've settled back in," AJ told her. "Transferring one of you to Judiciary might be a good solution to keeping you together, but getting you out of the same chain of command. I talked it over some with Admiral Wallace, and he's agreeable to the idea."

Mac looked surprised but pleased. She'd always wanted to try her hand at being a judge. "Thank you, sir," she smiled. "I'm looking forward to it."

"Of course, if one of you does transfer over to Judiciary, once you're married, you can't try cases that the other is involved in," he told her.

"I understand," Mac nodded. "Propriety demands nothing less."

AJ smiled in approval, nodding slowly.

Harm and Sturgis came in at that moment, glancing at the group in the living room.

"You weren't waiting on us, were you?" Sturgis asked, surprised.

"Of course we were," Mac said, standing and smiling at him. "If everyone wants to get washed up and have a seat at the table, I'll start serving lunch."

Everyone moved to the kitchen area, or the bathroom, to wash their hands as Harm grabbed Mac around the waist and kissed her tenderly.

"Doing okay?" he asked softly, nuzzling her behind the ear.

Mac smiled indulgently at him. "I'm fine," she promised. "Quit hovering and help me get lunch served."

Harm chuckled softly as he followed her to the kitchen, accepting the bowl of salad and the serving platter of sandwiches that she pulled from the refrigerator from her and moving to set them on the table, then moving to the kitchen to wash his hands.

Mac brought the bottles of salad dressing and the pitcher of iced tea, then went back to the kitchen and washed her hands before she brought out the bags of chips and set them on the table, taking a seat beside Harm.

They enjoyed a leisurely lunch with their friends, telling them about the beauty of the Sierra Nevada Mountains and the surrounding area and recounting some of their trip for the benefit of Sturgis and Admiral Chegwidden.

When lunch was finished, Harm and Mac again thanked everyone for their assistance with the move as they all prepared to leave.

Mac hugged everyone goodbye, as Harm shook hands with the Admiral, Bud and Sturgis, before returning Harriet's hug.

The moment everyone was gone, Harm pulled Mac into his arms and kissed her deeply, pulling her towards the bedroom.

"What about the mess from lunch?" she asked, smiling at him.

"It can wait," he told her, giving her an intense look that melted her insides. "I have better ideas right now."

Biting her bottom lip, but smiling, Mac allowed him to lead her up the steps to the bedroom.

**15:04 EST**

**Harm and Mac's Apartment**

**North of Union Station**

The moment they'd gotten up the small stairway to the bedroom, Harm turned and pulled Mac hard against him, fusing her mouth with his. Pushing his tongue against her lips, he groaned softly when she opened her mouth to allow him entrance.

As their tongues dueled, Harm trailed one hand down the front of Mac's sage green sweater, undoing the buttons as he went. When they were all undone, he pushed the garment from her shoulders and unhooked her bra, pulling that from her as well.

Breaking away from her mouth, he trailed his kisses down her neck, pulling the taut peak of her left breast into his mouth and sucking on it. His left hand moved down to begin undoing the snap and zipper of her jeans, while his right hand remained tangled in the soft waves of her hair.

Mac tilted her head back and moaned softly as he suckled at her breast, moving her hands down to his pants and pulling the sweater and undershirt he wore up to just under his arms.

Harm paused long enough to help her remove his shirts, and latched onto the other nipple as he pushed her jeans and underwear down as far as he could reach.

Mac sighed, running her palms along his washboard abs and up his chest, tangling her fingers in his hair.

Harm released her breast and moved up to give her another heated kiss, before he lifted her up in his arms and placed her in the center of the bed, pulling her jeans and underwear the rest of the way off of her, removing her shoes and socks in the process. He stood staring at her for a moment, his eyes filled with love and tenderness.

Mac smiled softly and held her hand out to him, beckoning him to her.

Harm kicked off his shoes and reached down to remove his socks, before shucking out of his jeans and boxers. Stretching out on the bed beside her, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her again.

Mac gave him a gentle push, so that he was lying on his back, and climbed over him, breaking away from his mouth to kiss her way down his neck to his chest. Circling first one nipple, then the other, with her tongue, she continued trailing kisses down his body, taking his hardened length into her mouth and sucking gently.

Harm groaned, reaching down to tangle his fingers in her hair. After several minutes, he lifted himself off of the bed and grabbed Mac's hands, tugging on one.

When she looked up at him questioningly and saw the slight shake of his head, she smiled and nodded, allowing him to pull her up his body. Stretching out on top of him, she found his mouth again and kissed him hungrily.

Harm wrapped himself around her and then rolled them so that she was beneath him, still kissing her. Untangling himself from her, he kissed his way down her neck, stopping to lavish attention on each full breast, before moving his way down her body.

He stopped briefly at her lower abdomen, gently rubbing his palm over the area, before placing a tender kiss over the place where their unborn child was cocooned.

Looking up at Mac's face, he returned her tender, happy smile, before he moved lower, gently pushing her thighs apart to allow him access to her feminine folds.

Mac's hips jerked slightly as Harm's tongue darted out to lick at her swollen clit and she whimpered softly when he began to suck on it. After several minutes of Harm's ministrations, Mac cried out his name.

"Please…" she breathed softly, as he continued to lightly stroke her, bringing her down from her high.

Harm began trailing kisses back up her body, again stopping to suckle each breast, before he stretched out over her and kissed her lips.

Mac reached between them to guide him inside of her, wrapping her arms and legs around him until he was in as far as he could go. "I love you," she murmured in his ear.

"I love you, Sarah," Harm whispered against her hair, smiling when she moved her hips slightly, her silent signal that she wanted him to move. Acquiescing to her unspoken request, he began to move in long, slow strokes, gradually increasing the pace and strength, until they were both close to the edge.

"Harm! I'm~" Mac cried out.

"I'm there," he promised through gritted teeth. The moment he felt her orgasm rush through her, squeezing and pulling at him, he gave two more deep, hard thrusts and joined her in the abyss.

Resting his forehead against hers, Harm kissed the tip of her nose and smiled at her. "Okay?" he asked.

Mac nodded slowly, stretching beneath him and sighing softly. "Terrific."

Harm looked immensely pleased with himself as he rolled them to their sides, covering them with the comforter.

**16:43 EST**

**Harm and Mac's Apartment**

**North of Union Station**

They lay there for close to an hour, kissing and cuddling, just happy to be in each other's arms, until the spell surrounding them was broken by the ringing of the telephone.

Sighing, Harm reached over Mac and grabbed the receiver.

"Hello?" he said into the phone. "Mom! Happy New Year to you both, too," he said, smiling down at Mac.

"Is Mac with you now?" Trish asked her son.

"Yes, ma'am, she is," he answered. "How was your cruise?"

"It was wonderful," Trish told him. "How was your and Mac's Christmas?"

"Perfect," Harm grinned. "I asked Mac to marry me on Christmas Eve and she accepted."

"Harm! Oh… that is… I'm so happy for you both!" Trish exclaimed.

Harm raised his eyebrows at Mac, tenderly putting his palm over her womb.

Mac smiled at him, nodding her assent and kissing his chin.

"Um… there's more," he said. "We're going to have a baby."

There was silence on the line for several long moments.

"Mom?" Harm asked, concerned.

"I-I'm h-here," his mother's tear-choked voice came through. "I-I'm so h-happy for y-you both," she cried.

"Aw, Mom," Harm said quietly. "Don't cry."

"They're happy tears," she said, her voice stronger. "I promise."

"I'm glad you're happy," Harm smiled. "Mac moved into the loft with me; we finished moving the last of the things she doesn't need or want here, into storage today. We've been talking about finding either a larger apartment or buying a house. With a baby coming, we're going to need more room."

"Yes, you will definitely need a bigger place," Trish said. "When is Mac's due date?"

"August 28th," Harm replied.

"Oh, _Harmon_, she's going to kill you," Trish chuckled softly.

Harm looked confused. "Why?"

"Being in her final trimester in the heat and humidity of summer? She's going to be miserable," she said sympathetically. "Better get a place with central air."

Mac was wondering what Harm's sudden 'deer-in-the-headlights' look was for, as he spoke to his mother. She raised an eyebrow at him, smiling slightly.

"I'll keep that in mind," he said.

"Well, I'll let you go now," Trish told him. "We'll talk again, soon. We love you, dear… give Mac our love, too."

"I will," Harm replied. "I love you guys, too. Goodbye.""Goodbye, darling," Trish said, disconnecting the call.

"How'd she take the news?" Mac asked him with a smile.

"She's very happy," he told her. "She said that you're going to kill me when we get to your final trimester, though."

"Why?" Mac asked, frowning slightly, puzzled.

"She said something about being in the final trimester during the heat and humidity of summer," Harm shrugged.

Mac gave him a look that clearly said she didn't understand the significance, either, and shrugged. "Well, I guess we'll find out."

Harm leaned forward and kissed her tenderly. "I'm going to get up and work on cleaning up from lunch; fell free to rest if you need to."

"I'm good," Mac told him, watching him as he climbed out of bed and grabbed his clothing, heading to the bathroom. When he emerged ten minutes later, she climbed out of bed and kissed him on his way out of the bedroom. "Be there in a couple of minutes."

Harm nodded and watched as she disappeared around the wall that separated the bathroom from the rest of the bedroom, before moving to the living area to clean up.


	16. Chapter 16

A/N: First off, let me say, that after _extensive_ research, I was unable to find any actual document name that specifically gives the rules for pregnant women in the military... and believe me, I _tried_! That said, I made one up! The RRWAF is my answer to the dilemma! Now, this story is rated M for explicit sexual content, but this part is safe for anybody. I may end up with a few chapters more than I originally anticipated, but we'll see. As always, many, many THANKS!!! to those who review! They are greatly appreciated, and they keep me posting! Enough chit-chat! Enjoy...

**09:13 EST**

**JAG Headquarters**

**Falls Church, VA**

**Two Months Later**

Mac looked up from her desk to see her fiancé standing in her doorway. "To what do I owe the pleasure?" she asked him with a smile.

"The Admiral wants to see us," he told her, returning her smile.

Mac closed up the file she'd been working on and set it aside, sighing as she stood.

"Feeling okay?" he asked. He'd been completely amazed that Mac hadn't had a single incidence of nausea or vomiting the whole first trimester. He'd heard horror stories from Bud, when Harriet had been pregnant with Little AJ, about how sick she was, so he'd been silently prepared for the worst. The fact that Mac hadn't been at all sick was a blessing, indeed, especially since she'd spent the last three weeks sitting her turn as a judge. He'd done his turn the three weeks prior to that and, while he did a decent job and found the experience enlightening, he preferred to be on this side of the Bench.

Five days ago had signaled the beginning of her second trimester, and Harm had breathed a silent sigh of relief when the doctor had allowed them to listen to the baby's heartbeat on the fetal monitor and had told them that the chances of miscarriage had dropped to less than five percent.

They'd not told anyone besides Trish, Frank, Grandma Sarah, and Mac's Uncle Matt about the baby. Mac had realized just how worried Harm was about a miscarriage, so she'd decided that until she'd entered the second trimester, they would not tell anyone else, unless the Admiral tried to send her TAD somewhere. Then, they would have to let him know, since she could not be sent out to sea or into any dangerous situations.

Tiner saw them enter the outer office and snapped to attention. "The Admiral is expecting you, sir, ma'am," he said.

"As you were, Tiner," Harm said, knocking once on the Admiral's door and then opening it and motioning for Mac to precede him into the office.

"Reporting as ordered, sir," Mac said for them, the moment they were in front of the Admiral's desk.

"As you were," AJ said. "Have a seat."

Harm and Mac had noted the presence of Clayton Webb and had immediately become wary; it was never good when Webb was involved.

"Recent intelligence has brought to light a black market prostitution ring," Webb told them, handing Mac a folder. "They're recruiting wives of military men that are living on base, while their husband's are away. We need someone to go undercover as one of these wives and help to capture the men that are behind this ring. Mac, we've decided you're the best choice for this mission."

"_No_," Mac said, handing the folder back to Webb and shaking her head.

Webb and the Admiral both looked stunned. Not only by the fact that she'd said 'no', but with the vehemence she'd used behind the word.

"Do you need the Admiral to make it an order?" Webb asked angrily.

"He can't," Harm said, glancing at Mac. "Article 2, Section 14 of the Rules Regarding Women in the Armed Forces prevents the Admiral from being able to order her to do it."

The Admiral's eyes widened, and then he grinned at Harm and Mac.

"Then I'll go above his head," Webb said, clearly disgruntled. "The SecNav, hell, the President, if necessary," he sneered at them.

"Even the President can't order her to go, now," AJ said smugly. "Guess you'll have to pick one of your own _agents_ for a change."

"What do you _mean _even the President can't order her?" Webb asked angrily. "He's the Commander In Chief, for Christ's sake!"

"Yes, that's true," AJ said. "But as they stated, Article 2, Section 14 of~"

"Since I am not a _lawyer_, and have no idea what you're talking about, care to enlighten me?" Webb cut him off impatiently.

"Article 2, Section 14 of the Rules Regarding Women in the Armed Forces, states: Any female member of the Armed Forces of the United States may not enter into any combat, sea duty, undercover, or other mission or duty which places her life in danger, while she is knowingly… with child," AJ said this last part with a smile, his voice softening slightly.

Webb was stunned momentarily, then he looked accusingly at Harm. "Yours?" he asked.

Harm smiled, nodding slowly. "Yes."

"Congratulations," AJ said, still smiling. "When are you due?"

"August 28th," Mac told him. "We were waiting until the beginning of my second trimester to tell anyone, since the chance of miscarriage is much higher before that. Had you given me orders that fell under the RRWAF, I would have informed you earlier, sir," Mac assured him.

AJ nodded his understanding. "Have you set a date for the wedding yet?"

"Not yet," Mac answered, shaking her head slightly.

AJ looked at Harm with both eyebrows raised, but said nothing. "Keep me informed," he said.

"We will, sir," Harm promised, fully comprehending the look his CO was giving him.

"How long have the two of you been engaged?" Webb asked, finally overcoming his shock at the whole situation.

"Since Christmas Eve," Mac told him. "We found out I was pregnant shortly after that."

"So you're only getting married, because you knocked her up?" Webb asked Harm incredulously.

Harm moved to get out of his seat, but AJ beat him to it.

Pinning Webb to the nearest wall, he glared at the smaller man. "That was uncalled for," he growled. "They just told us that they found out about the baby _after_ they became engaged! I think you need to crawl back under whatever rock you came out from, before I lose my temper with you and do something I'll regret later!" He released Webb, scowling at the annoying agent.

Webb straightened his suit and shook himself slightly. "Fine," he said haughtily. "I'll be more than happy to leave." Gathering the folders he'd brought with him, he stopped and glared at Harm a moment before walking out of the Admiral's office and slamming the door behind him.

"What an ass," AJ grumbled, as he sat back in his chair.

"Thank you, sir," Harm said, glancing at Mac. He was concerned by the look on her face, but didn't want to say anything in front of the Admiral.

"No problem, Commander," AJ said. "Damned spook," he muttered. Looking at Harm and Mac, he smiled slightly. "I assume you'll want to make some sort of formal announcement?"

"With your permission, sir," Harm said. "We were considering making the announcement at Bud Roberts' birthday party this weekend. We'd like to keep it outside of the office as much as possible."

AJ nodded approvingly. "Good idea," he said. "Colonel? You all right?"

Mac turned her attention to him. "Yes, sir," she replied.

"Good," AJ said, smiling at her. "Dismissed."

They stood as one and snapped to, turning on their heels and leaving the office, the Admiral smiling to himself as he went back to work.

**09:47 EST**

**JAG Headquarters**

**Falls Church, VA**

Harm followed Mac silently back to her office, entering behind her and closing the door. Closing the blinds as well, he turned to find her sitting at her desk, reading the file she'd set aside before the confrontation with Clayton Webb.

"Talk to me, Mac," Harm said, moving to stand beside her chair. "What are you thinking?"

"Besides the fact I want to wring Webb's scrawny neck?" she sighed, shaking her head. "I'm just wondering how many more people are going to wonder if we're only getting married because of the baby," she said quietly.

"Does it really matter what other people think?" he asked, frowning slightly. "Those that know and love us won't question it; that's all that matters to me."

Mac looked into his eyes as he knelt beside her chair and took her hand, then her own eyes filled with tears. "I never want our child to question our love for each other, or the reasons why we got married."

Harm brushed a tear from her cheek and kissed her tenderly. "Then we'll just have to make sure that he or she sees how much we love each other every day, so that they never have reason to question it. Okay?"

Mac smiled at him, nodding. "Okay," she agreed, and then gave him an odd look. "The Admiral wants us to get married before the baby is born, doesn't he?"

Harm paused a moment before nodding slowly. "I think so," he said. "Don't take it the wrong way, Mac. It's generally frowned upon for members of the military to have children when they're not married. It has more to do with the welfare of the child, than with any kind of formal moral code, though that does factor in as well, I'm sure, with some of the older generation."

Mac nodded. "Maybe we should work on setting a date, then," she said. "Do you have any preferences?"

"I think it's going to depend on what kind of wedding we want to have," Harm said. "But now isn't the time. I have an Article 32 hearing this afternoon to prepare for."

Mac smiled. "Okay, Sailor, but I'm going to nail you down at dinner tonight," she said.

"I look forward to it," he said, winking at her. "See you for lunch?"

"12:30 hours," she nodded.

Harm smiled and dropped a quick kiss on her head, before slipping out of her office.

**18:38 EST**

**Harm and Mac's Apartment**

**North of Union Station**

Harm dished out a plate of linguine with shrimp cream sauce and handed it to Mac, smiling at her when she set her day planner beside her.

"So… what kind of a wedding do you want?" Mac asked with raised eyebrows and a broad smile.

"Anything you want, Mac," he said. "Honestly."

"Oh, no you don't, Harmon Rabb," she said, pointing her fork at him. "You don't get out of it that easily. If you could have any kind of wedding you wanted, regardless of the cost, what would you have?"

Harm sighed, as he bit into his garlic toast. "Something small," he said quietly. "Preferably outdoors. I'd just want my closest friends and family there, and of course, you… that would be perfect to me."

"Seriously?" Mac asked, surprised.

Harm nodded, looking up at her intently. "How about you? Regardless of what it costs, what kind of wedding would you have?"

Mac smiled at him. "Something small, outdoors, with just my closest friends, your family and you," she said.

Harm gave her a skeptical look and she put her right hand up.

"Honest," she said. "I'm surprised you don't want to do the whole wedding at Annapolis with the arch of swords and all the hoopla."

Harm gave her a pointed look. "Mac…"

She smiled, nodding. "Guess I should have known we'd think more alike than that."

"So we know what, now we just need to figure out the when and where," Harm said, grinning. "Outdoor weddings are best held in the late spring, summer or early fall," he reminded her. "People don't want to be outside when it's cold."

"They don't like sweltering heat, either," Mac said, nodding. "How soon do you think we could put something together?"

"Depending on the location, I think six to eight weeks would be manageable," Harm said. "What are you thinking?"

"Well, I'm twelve weeks along now, so eight more weeks would be twenty weeks… I won't fit well in a dress much after twenty-four weeks," Mac said, thinking out loud as she looked at her day planner. "May 25th," she said, showing him the calendar. "It's cutting it a little close; I'll be right at twenty-four weeks, but it's a Saturday, it's late spring…" she trailed off and raised her eyebrows at him questioningly.

"May 25th sounds good," Harm said, nodding. "So now we have to nail down a definite where, so we can get the invitations out quickly. You do realize that is also Memorial Day weekend?"

Mac winced. "Hmm… yeah, but unless they're planning a big family vacation or something, most people I know don't plan more than a couple of weeks ahead for that holiday. If we can nail down a time and place quickly, and get the invitations out within a week or two, we might be okay."

Harm nodded his agreement. "So, we want something outdoors… are you thinking a garden type setting?"

"What do you have in mind?" Mac asked.

"Well, there are several places in the area that have beautiful historic gardens, and some even overlook either the Potomac, a lake, or The Bay," Harm said.

Mac was quiet for several minutes as she thought about it, then smiled and bit her bottom lip. "What about a boat?"

Harm perked up at this. "A boat? What boat?"

"I happen to know that there is going to be a large sailboat docking at Annapolis in six weeks, and it will be there for the entire summer," Mac said. "I'm sure if I ask the Admiral for some help in arranging it, we could have our wedding onboard, and then have the reception at the Officer's Mess at the Academy."

Harm smiled broadly. "Think he would do that?"

Mac returned his smile. "Oh, I think he'd be willing to put in a good word for us."

"Then you talk to the Admiral, and if we can get permission for the 25th, we'll order the invitations and get them out in the next couple of weeks," Harm said.

"I'll need you to give me a list of who you want to invite," Mac said. "We'll need at least a ballpark figure to give to the OM at Annapolis."

"That's easy enough," Harm shrugged. "My parents, my grandmother, Jack Keeter, Sturgis Turner and our friends at JAG."

"Are you sure that's all?" Mac asked. "No extended family?"

"I'm sure, Mac," he said. "We'll send out announcements to the extended family, but I don't want a bunch of people I've only ever seen maybe five times in my entire life there. We said small, remember?"

Mac smiled, glad he felt the same way. "I understand that. Okay, then, we'll put together a formal guest list and I'll start the ball rolling."

"Let me know what I can do to help you, Mac," Harm said, taking her hand and kissing the knuckles. "I don't want you to stress yourself out over this, or overdo it. You need to be taking care of yourself."

Mac smiled at him. "I know. Trust me, if I need your help, I'll let you know."

**13:07 EST**

**Roberts' Residence**

**Rosslyn, VA**

**Following Saturday**

Harriet watched Harm and Mac closely, still confused. She was sure around New Year's that Mac was pregnant, but other than the fact that she'd cut back on coffee and was eating healthier, she'd not shown any symptoms. No morning sickness, no fatigue, nothing. Sighing, she focused her attention back on her son.

Harm and Mac were sitting on a blanket on the grass, with Harm's back leaning against a tree. He had his legs stretched out, spread open just enough for Mac to sit between them while she reclined backwards against his chest. In one hand he held a glass of lemonade, while the other was resting on her abdomen, where he could feel the slight bulge that housed their unborn child.

They were laughing at Little AJ's antics, as he showed them that he'd learned to do somersaults at preschool and chattered endlessly in toddler-speak.

Harm leaned forward and kissed her behind her ear. "Just one of the many things I'm looking forward to, how about you?" he whispered quietly.

Mac smiled up at him, nodding.

"So, you two set a date for the wedding yet?" Carolyn Imes asked, sitting in a nearby lawn chair and sipping her iced tea.

"Yes, ma'am," Harm said, smiling and nodding. "May 25th. You should be getting your invitation in the mail within the next week or so."

"Wow, that's close," she said, looking surprised. "What's the rush?"

"No rush," Harm said.

Harriet gave them a teasing smile. "You're not pregnant, are you, Mac?"

Mac returned the smile, answering in the same casual tone Harriet had used. "Actually, I am, Harriet."

Harriet and Caroline's eyes widened, as they stared at Harm and Mac.

"You're serious?" Caroline asked, clearly shocked.

"Very serious," Mac said, nodding. "I'm due August 28th."

"Oh my gosh! That's wonderful!" Harriet exclaimed, jumping up so that she could move to hug her friends.

Bud looked over from where he was standing at the barbecue grill with the Admiral, Alan Mattoni and Jason Tiner when he heard his wife's outburst. "What is it, honey?" he called.

"Tell them, Mac!" Harriet said, smiling broadly.

Mac glanced back at Harm, who winked at her and nodded. "Harm and I are getting married May 25th," she said loud enough for everyone, who had quieted down to see what the commotion was all about, to hear. "And we're having a baby sometime around the end of August."

"Shotgun wedding," Loren Singer murmured to Bobbie Latham and Jackie Mattoni.

Admiral Chegwidden overheard her as he was pulling another beer from the cooler, and he moved to stand in front of her, giving her a stern look. "I'll have no more of that kind of talk in my command, Lieutenant, do I make myself clear?"

Loren looked suitably chastised and nodded, unconsciously standing at attention. "Yes, sir; perfectly, sir."

"Good," AJ said, grinning tightly at the ladies and moving back to his place near the barbecue. He held up his beer and cleared his voice. "Commander, Colonel, let me speak for all of us when I say, 'congratulations'."

"Here, here," everyone chorused, toasting the happy couple with whatever drinks they happened to be holding.

"Thank you," Harm and Mac said in unison.

"Invitations to the wedding will be in the mail within the week, so everyone keep May 25th open," Harm said, grinning.

"Where is the wedding going to be?" Harriet asked.

"On a sailboat at Annapolis," Mac smiled, giving her commanding officer a look of gratitude for his help in securing the arrangements. "The reception will be at the Officer's Mess at the Academy, shortly following the ceremony."

"Enough about us," Harm announced loudly, smiling. "We're here to celebrate Bud's birthday! Happy Birthday, Bud!"

"Thank you, sir!" Bud said, smiling broadly.

Harm shook his head. "We're never going to get that boy to call us by our first names," he whispered into Mac's ear, before kissing her neck lightly.

"That 'boy' is only two years younger than me," she chuckled. "Are you going to ask him about being your best man today?"

"Are you going to ask Harriet about being your matron of honor?" he countered, smiling.

"I will, if you will," she told him, lightly batting him away from her neck and laughing.

"You have a deal, Colonel," he grinned, shaking her hand. "And when I get you home…" he murmured into her ear, causing her to blush to the roots of her hair as he whispered exactly what he planned to do.

"If those two don't cool off over there, we may have to hose them down," Sturgis grinned.

"It's good to see them happy," Bud smiled.

"Amen to that," AJ said as he watched the happy couple, albeit a bit wistfully.

"Which one of them is leaving JAG, sir?" Bud asked. Though he would be sad no matter which of his friends had to leave, he was still happy that they would be getting married.

"Oh, let's save _that_ little surprise for another day, shall we?" AJ asked with a secretive smile.


	17. Chapter 17

A/N: This story is rated M for explicit sexual content, though this chapter could get by with a T rating. Sorry this one took so long; Real Life has reared its ugly head again. Please don't ask what the numbers were at the end of this chapter~ use your imagination! That said: Enjoy...

**17:32 EST**

**Bethesda Naval Hospital**

**Bethesda, MD**

**One Month Later**

Dr. Chamberlain entered the exam room and greeted Harm and Mac before taking a seat on the stool. "How are you feeling, Sarah?" he asked.

"Great," Mac smiled.

"Still no nausea or vomiting?"

"None," Mac answered, shaking her head. "My friend Harriet is a bit envious, I think; she was miserably sick her first four months with our godson."

"You've been very fortunate," he agreed with a smile. "I see you've gained two and a half pounds, which is pretty good; we're shooting for just over three and a half pounds a month, but if you gain a little less now, that's fine. It will give you a little bit of leeway in your final trimester."

Mac nodded in understanding. "I've kept up with my regular exercise routine, I hope that's okay?"

"What's your regular routine?" he asked.

"I run five miles at least three times a week, and I do kick boxing and yoga at least three times a week as well," she replied.

Dr. Chamberlain nodded. "As long as you're comfortable, and aren't having any pain or bleeding, there's no reason you can't continue until at least your seventh month. However, no kickboxing an actual opponent; just a punching bag until after you deliver. Okay… lie back so I can do the exam."

Mac laid back on the table, smiling at Harm as the doctor lifted the paper gown and pulled the sheet to just over her pubic bone so that he could measure her uterus.

"Good," he murmured, squirting the lubricating gel on her abdomen and then placing the microphone for the fetal monitor over her abdomen and moving it around until the distinctive 'whoosh-whoosh' sound of their baby's heartbeat could be heard.

Mac and Harm smiled widely at each other, Harm squeezing her hand gently.

"Excellent," Dr. Chamberlain smiled, setting the microphone aside and wiping the gel off with a couple of paper towels. Giving Mac a hand to sit up, he wrote some information in her chart and then took a seat on the stool again.

"When will I start to feel the baby move?" Mac asked.

"It's different for every woman, but generally you should start feeling a fluttering sensation within the next couple of weeks," he replied. "Some women don't notice it unless they're lying perfectly still. Sometime between eighteen and twenty-three weeks, you and Harm should both be able to feel the baby move when you place your hand on your abdomen."

Mac nodded, glancing at Harm.

"I'm going to schedule an ultrasound for your next visit, so you need to decide if you want to know the sex of the baby beforehand," he told them. "In the meantime, just keep doing what you're doing and get plenty of rest. Go ahead and get dressed now, and I'll see you in four weeks."

Mac scheduled her four-week appointment and when she was finished they made their way out to the parking lot and got into the car.

"Let's stop and get something to eat before we head home," Harm suggested, starting the engine on the rental car.

"We're still going shopping for a new car tomorrow, right?" Mac asked.

Harm nodded. "Unless you don't feel up to it."

"No, I'll be fine," she said.

Harm pulled out of the parking lot into the evening traffic, thinking about what the doctor had said. "So… do we want to know if it's a boy or a girl?" he asked.

"I'm kind of torn," Mac said. "If we find out now, it will make it easier to plan for. But I kind of like the element of surprise, in not knowing."

"I thought you hate surprises?" he asked, grinning.

"Most of the time," she agreed with a nod. "But this is different… do _you_ want to know?"

"Kind of," he admitted. "Like you said, it will help us to be better prepared. I'll leave it up to you to decide, Mac. If you want to know, we'll find out; if not, then we won't. Either way, I'll be happy."

"You sure?" Mac asked.

"I'm sure," he promised, kissing her knuckles.

Mac thought about it quietly for awhile. "I don't think I want to know," she said. "But I reserve the right to change my mind."

Harm chuckled at that. "Okay."

"Thank you," she said, kissing his cheek.

Harm glanced at her, giving her a small wink.

**14:51 EST**

**Local Car Lot**

**Falls Church, VA**

**Next Day**

Harm looked over the silver minivan and stopped to read the information sticker on the window.

"_No_," Mac said, pulling on his arm. "We are _not_ getting a minivan."

"It couldn't hurt to look," he protested. "With the baby coming, a minivan would be a good idea."

"Another SUV will work, just as well," she said, shaking her head. "We are not minivan people, Harm."

Harm chuckled, as she led him over to a Jeep Grand Cherokee. "Well, this would make Frank happy," he quipped.

Mac gave him a confused look. "Why?"

"It's made by DaimlerChrysler," he said.

"Oh," she smiled, nodding. "I had a Jeep before; they're very dependable."

"It's not too bad looking, either," he said, as he examined the car.

Mac glanced behind her at the salesman who had pounced on them the minute they'd entered the lot. After they had firmly told him they would let him know if they needed him, he'd moved away, though not too far, ready to swoop in the minute he got the signal. "What do you think? Want to test drive it?"

"Okay," he nodded.

Mac went over and spoke to the salesman, who was more than happy to take them on a test drive. Climbing into the back seat and buckling in, Mac rolled her eyes as the salesman immediately launched into a sales pitch on the virtues of the vehicle. Halfway through the test drive, she was ready to reach over the seat and knock him unconscious, just so he'd shut up.

Harm gave her an amused look in the rearview mirror. "Well, we have a baby coming in a few months, but my fiancé doesn't want a minivan," he told the man. "We feel an SUV would be a good compromise."

"Well, you can't do much better than this," he said, smiling broadly.

They returned to the lot and Mac told the salesman that they wanted to check out a couple more vehicles before they made a final decision.

Looking disappointed, the salesman moved back out of the way.

"That's cold, Mackenzie," Harm whispered in her ear, grinning.

"I _hate_ pushy people," she said, shrugging. "He needs to learn patience."

Harm kissed her cheek, shaking his head, as they moved to look at a Dodge Durango, and a Lexus RX 400. "I'd like to test drive these, too," he said to the salesman.

After trying out the other two, all the while listening to Larry the salesman talk about the virtues of each one, Harm and Mac had a quiet conference before settling on the Lexus.

Larry was pleased that they'd chosen the more expensive vehicle, though he didn't tell them that. His pleasure didn't last long, however, when he found out that he was dealing with two lawyers… who both knew a great deal about buying cars, and managed to get the final sale price down to that of the sticker price of the Jeep, including taxes, fees, and licensing.

"That was too much fun," Mac grinned, as they took the keys and walked towards the new vehicle.

Harm laughed at her, pulling her to him for a soft kiss. "You are a bad girl, Sarah Mackenzie," he scolded with a grin. "Follow me to the car rental place so I can return this thing finally, okay?"

Mac nodded, happy that she was getting to drive their new car first. As she followed Harm to the car rental place, she thought about the fact that with the baby coming, her Corvette wouldn't be a good car for her to drive. While she loved it, she also realized that it was time to trade it in for something a little more family friendly.

After they dropped the rental car off, Mac told him what she'd decided about the 'Vette.

"You sure?" Harm asked, surprised. He remembered the first day she'd gotten it; the look of pure joy on her face, and the euphoric giggle she'd given.

"I'm sure," she said, smiling. "It's paid for, so I can sell it outright and buy the Jeep we looked at earlier."

"All right," Harm agreed. "We can put an add online."

They headed home to the loft. They still had a lot to do before their wedding, which was less than two months away.

**09:52 EST**

**JAG Headquarters**

**Falls Church, VA**

**Three Weeks Later**

Admiral Chegwidden leaned back in his chair and looked over his staff, smiling slightly. He'd gotten the final confirmation before staff-call this morning, so he decided that now was the time to spring the surprise on everyone; Harm and Mac, especially.

"Anything else we need to cover before we move on?" he asked his people. When no one spoke up, he nodded and leaned forward, picking up the file he'd set aside. "As you are all aware, Commander Rabb and Lt. Colonel Mackenzie are getting married in just a few weeks time. While we are all very happy for them, it also means that one of them must leave us, as married officers cannot serve under the same chain of command. Colonel Mackenzie…"

Mac looked at him, sitting up a bit straighter and giving him her full attention. "Yes sir?"

"After much discussion with the SecNav, the CNO, General Casey, and other higher up officials, we have decided that you are the perfect choice for the new head of the Force Judge Advocate Training Center."

Mac blinked, unsure of what that meant. "Sir…?"

AJ smiled slightly. "We've found that as new graduates come into JAG from law school, many of them are lacking the necessary skills to make them good investigators and, often, good attorneys. It has been decided, therefore, that these new graduates, instead of being mainstreamed directly into JAG, will be placed into a new training center, where they will be given assignments that will allow them to hone these new skills. You will be the Commanding Officer at this new training facility, and will be working very closely with this office and the lawyers stationed here, to insure that these young people learn what they need to know before being stationed somewhere where they will be responsible for the futures and careers of those they are representing, or prosecuting. You will answer directly to Brigadier General Casey, as well as the SecNav, but this is your command, Colonel. Congratulations."

"Thank you, sir," Mac said, clearly surprised. She glanced at Harm, who was grinning proudly at her.

"You report to General Casey at 08:00 hours Monday June 3rd, to learn what your new duties will be. You will take over your new position, officially, on December first," the Admiral said.

"Thank you, again, sir," Mac said.

"You've earned it, Colonel," AJ said, giving her a brief smile before standing.

Everyone moved out of their chairs and snapped to attention.

"Dismissed," AJ said, handing Mac the file folder on her new command and then gathering his things and leaving the conference room.

Mac thanked everyone as they congratulated her, and wished her well, and then left the conference room.

Harriet insisted that they had to have a get-together at McMurphy's to celebrate, promising to handle all of the details. "We can combine it with the wedding shower," she said brightly.

"I thought men didn't attend wedding showers?" Harm asked, giving them an uncertain look.

"No," Harriet corrected, "the _wedding _shower is usually for the couple; the _bridal_ shower is for the bride only… no men allowed at that one. Speaking of which, you do remember that your bridal shower is scheduled for next Sunday afternoon?"

Mac smiled, nodding. "I remember."

"We need to know what sizes you wear," Harriet glanced nervously at Harm. "For um, you know…"

Mac rubbed her slightly extended abdomen, grinning. "I can tell you what sizes I wore pre-pregnancy. I'm sure it won't take me too long to get back into them after the baby is born. Besides, my doctor has already warned me about no… extracurricular… activities for six weeks after."

Harriet nodded, sighing. "That's true, ma'am. Just give me what sizes you think would be right. It will give you something to look forward to."

"I'll have them to you before the end of the day," Mac promised.

"Thank you, ma'am," Harriet said, before leaving.

"What do they need your sizes for?" Harm asked, frowning in puzzlement as they moved out of the conference room towards the elevators.

Mac grinned, keeping her voice low. "The purpose of the bridal shower, is to give the bride lingerie and other useful… items… for the honeymoon."

Harm blinked, turning a delicious shade of red. "I see."

Mac chuckled, glad that they were the only ones on the elevator as the doors closed. "You will," she promised, giving him a soft kiss and stepping away, just before the doors opened.

**13:17 EST**

**Robert's Home**

**Rosslyn, VA**

**Following Sunday**

All of the guests had arrived, and the food had been served, so the women gathered in the living room with their full plates and their drinks, to talk while they ate.

"So, having any cravings yet?" Harriet asked, smiling at Mac.

Mac laughed, nodding. "Chocolate. Almost anything chocolate… and watermelon."

"It's a bit early in the year for watermelon, isn't it?" Bobbie Latham asked, surprised.

Mac nodded again. "Poor Harm; he drove all over trying to find a store that carried them… and they were these tiny little things that cost a fortune," she sighed. "It's cute, because anytime I'm having a craving, I tell him that the baby wants it… and he goes out of his way to get whatever it is."

All the women laughed at that.

"Last night, I woke up craving rocky road ice cream and chocolate milk," Mac began…

::flashback::

"Harm!" Mac said, shaking his shoulder gently. "Harm!"

"Hmm?" Harm mumbled.

"Ha-arm," Mac sing-songed softly. "The baby wants chocolate."

Harm cracked an eye open and looked at the bedside clock. 03:12. "_Now_?"

"Harm!" Mac pouted. "_Pleeease_?"

"Okay; I'm up! I'm up," he said, rolling out of bed and moving to pull on his jeans. "What kind of chocolate?"

"Rocky road ice cream~ with almonds, not pecans or walnuts, and get a gallon of chocolate milk," she said, burrowing back down under the warm blankets.

"In the middle of the night?" Harm asked, pulling on his sweatshirt.

Mac gave him a pointed look.

"Okay…" he said, nodding. He knew better than to argue. "Just please tell me you don't want watermelon, too?"

Mac giggled. "Not tonight."

Harm leaned forward to kiss her. "I'll be back soon."

"I love you," she said, smiling happily.

"I love you, too," he said, standing up and heading towards the front door.

Thirty minutes later, he set the grocery bags onto the counter and padded up to the bedroom to find Mac sound asleep. Debating whether or not to wake her, he decided that if she woke him in the middle of the night, she must really be craving it, so he sat on the side of the bed and kissed her gently awake.

"Hey, sleepyhead," he said. "I brought you some rocky road ice cream and some chocolate milk, as requested."

"Mmm… thank you," Mac murmured, burrowing deeper under the covers.

"Do you want some now?" he asked.

Mac slowly shook her head. "Uh-uh; I'm not craving it anymore."

Harm bit his tongue to keep from saying something that would, invariably, get him into a _lot_ of trouble. "_Oh-kay_, then," he said, shaking his head. Moving to the kitchen, he put the items away and went back to bed.

This pregnancy was going to be the death of him, he decided.

::end flashback::

The women were howling with laughter by the end of the story.

"Poor Harm!" Carolyn said, wiping tears from her eyes.

"That man must _really_ love you," Bobbie said, shaking her head, as the giggles subsided.

"He does," Mac said happily. "I'm very lucky."

"Still craving chocolate?" Harriet asked with a twinkle in her eye, as she handed Mac a candy box with a gold bow.

Mac opened it and turned three shades of red. "Oh my gosh! Where did you get this?" she asked, showing the women the solid chocolate penis.

"I ordered it for the party from an online store," Harriet said, grinning. "That's just the beginning. Let the games begin, ladies!"

The games Harriet had planned were completely X-rated, and the women spent as much time blushing as they did giggling. The last game came along and Harriet looked at Mac.

"You have to determine the winner, here," she said.

"Why?" Mac asked, half afraid of the answer.

"Because they have to guess Harm's um, length and width… the closest guess is the winner," Harriet said, holding up a hand when Mac went to protest. "Don't try to tell us you don't know, either! You know."

Mac covered her eyes with her hand, blushing furiously and nodding. "Okay."

Once all of the guesses were in, Mac looked them over. Handing Harriet the closest guess, she gave her an embarrassed look.

"This is closest," she said.

Harriet's eyes nearly popped out of her head. "Bigger or smaller?"

"Bigger," Mac squeaked, as Harriet's jaw dropped. She read off the winning numbers, handing Carolyn Imes the gift for the winning guess as the women's eyes all turned to Mac, widened in shock.

Mac just shrugged, smiling in embarrassment. "Don't say _anything_ to him… I don't think he'd appreciate the humor in it."

"I'm never going to be able to look him in the eyes again," Harriet muttered to herself, as she moved to the stack of gifts. Time to change the subject. "Time to open presents!"


	18. Chapter 18

A/N: This story is rated M for sexually explicit content, though this chapter is safe for everyone. Special thanks to achaon for Harm's quote at the end of the chapter~ I couldn't agree more! As always, THANK YOU to everyone that has reviewed! It is greatly appreciated, and keeps me motivated! I'll get more out as soon as possible, but we have a new baby in the family~ the small, furry kind! My husband decided my sixteen year old _needed_ a six week old puppy, but guess who gets to take care of it? Yep, that's right! Me! Ugh! Enjoy...

**16:28 EST**

**JAG Headquarters**

**Falls Church, VA**

**Next Day**

"Harriet?" Harm called, poking his head out of his office. "Could I get you to fax this for me, please?"

"Yes, sir," she said, averting her eyes and blushing furiously.

Harm frowned slightly. All of the women in the office had been acting oddly around him all day. He was sure it had something to do with the bridal shower yesterday, but he didn't know what. Just what did women do at those things, anyway?

Slipping into Mac's office, he raised an eyebrow as he crossed his arms over his chest and watched her for a minute.

Mac looked up, blinking at the look on his face. "What's wrong?"

"What happened at that shower of yours yesterday?" he asked, raising both eyebrows as he closed her door.

"What do you mean?" she asked carefully, squirming slightly.

"I mean… not a single woman in this office has been able to look me in the eyes all day, and they all giggle and turn bright red every time I so much as look in their direction. I'd like to know just why that is?" he said, taking a seat in one of the chairs.

"Harm," Mac sighed. "It was a bridal shower. There were silly games, and a lot of… talk… and it will pass in a few days."

"A lot of talk about what?" he asked, eyes narrowing.

"Me, you, us," Mac said, shaking her head. "Why is this important?"

"What did you talk about?" he asked again.

"Mostly? The baby. I shared the story about my craving Saturday night, and told them how lucky I was to have such a loving, understanding fiancé," she said. "Of course there were the inevitable questions about our sex life, but I managed to skirt the issue for the most part."

"For the most part? What about the part you didn't?" he asked, frowning.

Mac sighed. "There was this one game… it was the last one we played. The games were all pretty raunchy, but they weren't personal, but the last one…" she sighed again. "Harriet gave everyone a piece of paper and a pen, and told them to guess um, how… big… you were. I had to look over the answers and pick the winner."

Harm's frown was now a scowl. "And you went along with this?" he asked incredulously.

"What was I supposed to do? It was a stupid game! Did you want me to embarrass Harriet by getting all over her case about it? I wasn't going to make a huge issue out of it, so I just played along! I picked the one that was closest and we moved on," she said, becoming defensive.

"Mac! Every woman out there has been sizing me up all day long! _Literally_! Do you know how embarrassing that is? I don't go around telling all the men in the office what size bra _you_ wear!" he said angrily, standing and waving his arms towards the door behind him.

"You don't have to!" Mac all but shouted. "Most guys can look at me and take a pretty good guess! It's different for men~ it isn't right out in plain sight!"

"So that makes it okay to give them personal information about me?" Harm yelled back.

"Of course not!" Mac said, shaking her head. She scrubbed a palm over her eyes. "I didn't give the specifics! I picked the closest guess and that was it!"

"That's not the point, Mac!" Harm said, still angry.

"Can we not do this here? Please?" Mac asked, noticing the stares that were aimed towards them. "We can talk about this at home."

"Fine!" Harm said, glaring at her again and stalking out, slamming his office door behind him and flopping into his chair.

Admiral Chegwidden came out of his office and stood in the bullpen, looking towards the officers now seated at their own desks. Mac looked weary and upset; Harm looked furious. Biting his lip, he decided to let it pass for now. If it continued in the morning, he'd have to do something about it; as long as they kept whatever it was out of the office, he would let this incident slide for now.

**17:51 EST**

**En Route to Harm and Mac's Apartment**

**Somewhere on the Beltway**

Harm slapped the steering wheel in frustration, shaking his head as he sat in the bumper-to-bumper traffic. Mac had left shortly after their argument and he'd found whatever he could to keep him in the office until 17:30, trying to cool off before he went home to deal with the situation again.

Picking up his cell, he tried the home number, but only got the machine. Disconnecting that call, he tried Mac's cell number, but it went straight to voicemail. Tossing his phone on the passenger seat, he shook his head again and tried to see what was keeping the traffic tied up.

Nearly fifteen minutes later, he could see that there was a pretty large accident up ahead of them. He counted at least five cars involved, not to mention that there were two fire trucks, three ambulances and a slew of police cars.

As he crept slowly closer to the accident, staring blankly out the windshield, something finally registered in his mind and caused his gut to tighten. Sitting up straighter in his seat, he noticed that one of the vehicles involved in the accident looked like Mac's new Jeep. Squinting, he tried to make out the license plate, glad for once that Mac had insisted on getting the personalized plate that read 'Marine', as it would make it easily identifiable. As he drew closer, however, his heart began to pound nearly out of his chest and he swallowed hard as he saw that it was, in fact, Mac's Jeep in the middle of the tangle of cars. Pulling off the side of the road, he jumped out of his Lexus and ran towards the scene of the accident, yelling for his fiancé.

"Mac!" he called, searching those being treated on the side of the road for her face. "Mac! Where are you?"

An officer tried to stop him from getting any closer. "Sir, this is an accident scene; please return to your vehicle."

"My fiancé's Jeep is over there," Harm said, pointing to the snarl of cars. "She's almost five months pregnant~ I _need_ to see if she's all right!"

The officer looked towards the mess and winced, grabbing Harm's arm and leading him towards where the emergency crews were. "She's alive, but hers was the third vehicle in the pile up… they're going to have to cut the top off of her Jeep to get her out," he told him. "Mike! This is Colonel Mackenzie's fiancé," he called to another officer. "Help him out, huh?"

Officer Mike came over and looked at Harm, nodding to him when he noticed his uniform. "I'm Officer Mike McMillan," he said, shaking Harm's hand.

"Commander Harmon Rabb," Harm said, returning the handshake. "How is Sarah? And the baby?"

"She's shaken up, but the medics say she doesn't appear to have any serious injuries. I have to tell you, given her place in the accident, that's pretty amazing," he said. "If she'd been driving a smaller car… well, things wouldn't be as favorable."

"We just bought the Jeep on Saturday," Harm told him, swallowing hard. "She wanted to sell her Corvette, since the baby is coming."

"Looks like that was the right decision to make," Officer McMillan said, nodding. "It's going to be a few more minutes before they can get to her car; we have to pull the other ones off of hers first, but we'll let you talk to her… here," he said, handing Harm a fireman's helmet. "Put this on and I'll take you to her."

Harm did as told and followed Officer McMillan to the mess of cars, taking in the details of the accident and thanking God that they'd bought the Jeep when they did. He was introduced to the fire Chief in charge, and then they took him over to the passenger side of Mac's vehicle, where the window was smashed in and a Kevlar blanket was thrown over the window sill.

"Mac?" Harm said, leaning into the window as far as he could.

Mac turned her head towards him and her eyes filled with tears. "Harm?" she said shakily.

Harm reached in and took her hand. "I'm here," he said. "You okay?"

Mac nodded. "I'm okay; just worried about the baby."

"Are you having any cramping? Any pain?" he asked, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze.

"No," she said. "They tell me that is a good sign, and to just hang on while they get me out. I'm really thirsty, though."

"We'll get you something soon," he promised.

"Okay," she nodded. "Harm? I'm really sorry about yesterday… it was a stupid game and I never should have gone along with it."

"Hey," he said, leaning further in to kiss her knuckles. "Don't worry about it; it's not important."

Mac smiled tightly, nodding. "Thanks."

"I love you," he said, gazing at her intensely.

"I love you, too," she said, her eyes again filling with tears.

"Sir?" the fireman behind him said. "We need to have you move back while we remove the other vehicles. We want to get her out of there as soon as we can."

"I'll be right out here, waiting for you," Harm promised her. "Hang tight, Marine."

"I'll be fine," Mac smiled wanly.

Harm moved to the area they showed him to and watched, with some trepidation, as the other vehicles were removed from the scene. He saw a fireman crawl into the car with Mac through the passenger window and cover her with a Kevlar blanket as the extraction process began, and he prayed the whole time that everything went smoothly.

A large pickup was on top of the back of Mac's Jeep, so that was lifted off with a crane and set on a flatbed tow truck. The car that Mac had rear-ended was hooked up to a tow truck and pulled away from Mac's Jeep, as well.

Once the other cars were out of the way, they began cutting the roof off of Mac's Jeep. After several tense minutes, the top was peeled back and a paramedic crew rushed forward while the firemen carefully lifted Mac out onto a backboard and put her on the gurney the paramedics had brought.

"We're taking her to Capitol Hill Hospital," the medic told Harm, as they stopped for a minute to let him see her again.

Harm nodded, thanking the young man before leaning down to brush the hair from her eyes. "I'll be right behind you," he promised, kissing her tenderly. "I love you."

"I love you, too," she said, giving him a small smile.

He watched them load her into the ambulance and then ran back to his Lexus, where a police cruiser was waiting to escort him through the throng of vehicles towards the hospital.

**19:24 EST**

**Capitol Hill Hospital**

**Washington, DC**

Harm rushed into the emergency department and up to the desk, looking at the young woman that was sitting behind it, typing on a computer keyboard.

"My name is Commander Harmon Rabb," he told her. "My fiancé, Sarah Mackenzie, was just brought in by ambulance."

The woman looked at him briefly, before typing in some information and then nodding. "Lt. Colonel Sarah Mackenzie," she said. "Exam room 8. Go through these doors to the end and take a left. It'll be the fifth room on the right."

"Thank you," Harm said, doing as she instructed. Stopping outside the exam room indicated, he took a deep breath to calm down and then tapped on the door before entering. He smiled when Mac looked up at him from the hospital gurney she was lying on, moving to the head of the bed.

"Mac…" he breathed, taking her hand in his and kissing her forehead. "How you doing?"

Mac smiled tiredly. "I'm okay; really. Just a bit shaken up. So far, everything seems to be okay with the baby, too. They said that between the seatbelt, the airbag, and the fact that I was driving a larger vehicle, we're both very lucky."

Harm nodded, kissing her forehead again. Her face would be bruised, probably a result of the airbag, but at least she and the baby were okay. "I called the Admiral and filled him in; he says to tell you to rest and not to worry about anything at the office. He gave me tomorrow off to stay with you."

Mac nodded tiredly, closing her eyes. "The paramedic said I'll probably be out a couple of days, just to make sure everything is okay."

Harm only nodded again.

Ten minutes later, a doctor entered and introduced himself as Dr. Brody, the on-call obstetrician. "I'm going to go ahead and do an ultrasound, just to be sure everything is okay," he told them. "You still need to see your regular physician within the week."

"I have an appointment on the 29th," she said, nodding. "He's supposed to do an ultrasound then, too."

"That's good," he agreed. "This is just mostly to make sure that everything is okay after the accident."

Dr. Brody examined Mac, pleased when everything checked out. "As soon as they bring in the ultrasound machine, we'll get that done; then maybe you can go home."

"Thank you," Mac said, as he left the room.

Thirty minutes later, a tech wheeled in the ultrasound machine and hooked it up, and fifteen minutes later, Dr. Brody returned to do the test.

Dr. Brody lifted Mac's hospital gown, covering her as much as possible with the blanket, before squirting the lubricating gel on her abdomen and performing the ultrasound.

"No signs of rupture to the placenta," he said. "Baby's heartbeat is good and strong, too." He moved the transducer around a bit more, then placed it back in its holder and wiped the gel off of Mac's abdomen with several paper towels. "Everything looks great," he told them. "Your baby is fine, as is Mommy, so I'm going to go ahead and release you. I want you to take it easy for the rest of tonight, and all of tomorrow; stay in bed or on the sofa as much as possible. As long as you don't have any bleeding or cramping, you can return to duty on Wednesday. I'll write the orders and fill out a form for you to give your Commanding Officer. As I said, you need to see your regular OB within the next week."

"Thank you, Doctor," Harm said, shaking his hand.

"My pleasure," he replied. Patting Mac's arm, he smiled at her. "You take it easy; best of luck to you all."

"I will; thank you," Mac said, returning his smile.

An hour and a half later, they arrived home and Harm sent Mac straight to bed. After changing clothes, he made them a light meal, sitting with Mac in the bedroom to eat, before cleaning up the kitchen and then preparing for bed himself. He snuggled close to Mac and closed his eyes, finally allowing himself to relax.

"Harm?" Mac said softly.

"Hmm?" he murmured.

"I really am sorry about yesterday… I should have put my foot down and refused to play that game," she said quietly.

Harm smiled, in spite of himself. "The problem with you women, is that you're too fixated on the size of the tool. Any tool in the hands of a craftsman, will do the job nicely."

Mac pulled back to look at him, shocked. In the dim light of their bedroom, she could see his smug grin. Laughing softly and shaking her head, she snuggled close to him, caressing his chest with her palm. "I love you," she whispered, closing her eyes.

"I love you, too, Sarah," he replied, pulling her just a bit closer to him before he fell asleep.


	19. Chapter 19

A/N: I am _**SO**_ sorry that it has taken so long for me to update! Real life has been a nightmare! Between my laptop crashing, losing our ISP, and major problems in my marriage, I've not had the time, the resources, or the motivation, to work on my stories lately! I promise that I'm going to finish this story someday, though! _**THANK YOU**_!!!! to everyone that has written emails and reviews~ your encouragement and support mean the world to me! I promise to post as I can! _**This story is rated M for sexually explicit content!! **_That said: Enjoy...

**16:54 EST**

**Bethesda Naval Hospital**

**Bethesda, MD**

**April 29****th**

Dr. Chamberlain smiled at Mac and Harm as he put some of the lubricating gel on Mac's abdomen before placing the transducer over her uterus and moving it around. "Ready to see your baby?" he asked.

Harm and Mac looked at one another with wide grins before nodding to him.

"Okay," he said, moving it around a bit. "Here's the baby's head," he told them, outlining each feature with his forefinger as he told them what it was. "Here's the nose, the eyes and the mouth. Here is the torso, the arms, the legs… have you decided if you want to know what you're having?"

Mac looked at Harm questioningly. When he gave her a look that told her, 'it's up to you', she bit her top lip. Looking at Harm one more time, she nodded and sighed loudly. "Okay… tell us."

Dr. Chamberlain laughed, moving the transducer around a bit more. "Congratulations, you are looking at baby girl Rabb."

Harm's eyes snapped to the screen and filled with tears as he stared at the fuzzy image of his baby daughter. As much as he'd wanted a son to carry on the family name, he'd always wanted a daughter to love and spoil, and be Daddy's little princess. Feeling Mac's palm on his cheek, he looked down to see her own eyes filled with tears. Smiling at her, he leaned forward and kissed her tenderly. "It's a girl…" he said happily, kissing her again.

Dr. Chamberlain smiled while he made the necessary measurements. "She looks perfectly healthy; no signs of any abnormalities or distress," he told them. "And she's an active little thing."

"Can you feel any of that?" Harm asked, nodding to the screen where their baby girl was suddenly moving all around.

"I feel a faint, fast, tapping movement," she said. "I assume that's her."

"It is," Dr. Chamberlain assured her. "Any day now, you should feel her kicking from the outside, when you put hand on your abdomen."

"I can't wait to share that with you," Mac said quietly to Harm, leaning up to kiss him again. "This is so amazing."

Harm nodded his agreement as his eyes returned to the screen to watch as the doctor continued to take the necessary measurements. He started thinking about girl's names, trying to find one in his mind that stuck out. Sarah was obvious; his grandmother was named Sarah, as was his beautiful fiancé. So more than likely, Mac wouldn't agree to Sarah, except as a middle name, perhaps.

He loved his mother, but didn't think that any of the variations of her given name, Patricia, were appropriate. Ann was his mother's middle name, and while it was pretty, it wasn't what he was looking for, either.

He'd never been close to his mother's mother, Grandma Melanie, and Melanie didn't feel right, either… this was going to be tough.

"What are you thinking?" Mac asked with a quizzical smile.

"Trying to find a name that is right for her," he said, telling her what he'd thought about already. "I love Sarah, but with you and my grandmother… maybe as a middle name?"

Mac nodded. "Maybe."

"Do you have a name that stands out for you?" he asked.

Mac shook her head slowly. "Not at the moment."

"What were your grandmothers' names?" he asked.

"My mom and Uncle Matt's mom was Nieromi; my dad's mom was Eileen," she said. "I don't think either of those is right for our daughter."

Harm nodded in agreement. "We have time," he smiled, leaning forward to kiss her again.

"Okay," Dr. Chamberlain said, wiping the gel off with some paper towels and pulling Mac's shirt back down. He handed them several photographs from the printer. "Here's your girl," he said, pointing out the various features in the photo so they'd know what they were looking at. "Everything looks good, so I want to see you again in four weeks."

"We're getting married about then; can we come either a week earlier, or a week later?" Mac asked.

He chuckled, nodding. "That would be fine; I'll see you then. Congratulations."

"Thank you," they said in unison, just before he walked out the door.

"Come on, Mommy," Harm said. "Let's get home and get changed; our wedding shower is in just over an hour."

Mac smiled, as she accepted his proffered arm and allowed him to lead her from the doctor's office.

They drove home, chatting happily about their little girl and trying to think of a name for her. Mac kept looking at the pictures the doctor had given her in wonder, barely able to believe that she was really carrying another human being within her own body.

They arrived home and went upstairs to change, before making their way to the Admiral's house for the wedding shower.

**18:30 EST**

**Admiral Chegwidden's Home**

**McLean, VA**

Harm pulled into the driveway and went around to open the door for Mac, smiling as he placed his arm around her waist and led her towards the house. They paused as they stood on the porch, staring into one another's eyes and remembering the last time they'd been on this porch together, almost exactly one year ago.

Without a word, they expressed and accepted apologies, sealing their future with a tender kiss before letting go of the past once and for all.

Harm knocked on the door and smiled as the Admiral opened the door and invited them in, offering them something to drink as they greeted the few guests that had already arrived.

Half an hour later, everyone had arrived and the food was being served. As Harm and Mac sat side by side, Mac pulled out the ultrasound photos and showed them to Bud and Harriet.

"We had our official ultrasound today," she said, smiling. "It's a girl!"

"Oh, Harm! Mac! I'm so excited for you!" Harriet exclaimed as she and Bud looked at the ultrasound photos. "Look at her cute little nose!"

"You can tell what's what on that thing?" Harm asked, surprised.

"Well, we have seen them twice before," Harriet smiled, then her smile turned a bit wistful.

Mac placed a hand on her friend's arm. "Oh, Harriet, Bud… I'm so sorry. I didn't even think~"

"It's all right," Harriet assured her. "It's still hard sometimes, but it is getting a bit easier as time goes by. Don't, for even one minute, think that we're not happy for the two of you. This little angel is going to be well loved."

"Harriet's right," Bud told them with a smile. "Don't hesitate to share your joy with us, because we are very happy for you."

Mac looked at Harm questioningly and he smiled and nodded. They had discussed this on the way over, and had wholeheartedly agreed that it was what they both wanted. Tilting her head towards Bud and Harriet, she smiled at him.

"We're glad you feel that way," Harm smiled, "because we want the two of you to be her godparents."

"OH!" Harriet squealed excitedly. "We'd be honored! Wouldn't we Bud?"

Bud chuckled, nodding. "Of course we would! Thank you, sir, ma'am!"

"Bud…" Mac teasingly scolded, shaking her head.

"Sorry," Bud said, grinning sheepishly.

"Have you decided on a name yet?" Harriet asked.

"Working on it," Mac smiled. "What's your middle name? We're trying to get some ideas."

"Marie," Harriet smiled.

Mac smiled, nodding.

"What's _your_ middle name?" Harm asked Mac. "I've never even thought to ask you that."

"Leigh," Mac said, spelling it out.

"That's pretty," Harriet smiled.

"Thank you," Mac said, blushing slightly. "Although I admit, I hated it when I was a kid and got into trouble. Hearing one of my parents yelling out 'Sarah Leigh Mackenzie' always made me cringe."

"I think all kids feel that way," Bud smiled.

"What's your middle name Bud?" Harm asked, grinning.

"Jay," he said, spelling it. "Bud Jay Roberts, Jr. I was like you, ma~ uh, Mac. I hated hearing my parents call me by my full name."

"What about you, Harm?" Harriet grinned. "We've all told you ours."

Harm laughed. "Anthony. Harmon Anthony Rabb, Jr. My mother always left out my middle name… guess she figured Harmon Rabb, Jr. was enough of a mouthful."

"You could go with the feminine versions of your names," Harriet said to him. "Harmony or Antoinette."

Harm smiled, scrunching his nose. "I don't think so. They're both pretty, but they just don't feel right."

Mac smiled at him, nodding in agreement.

Harm and Mac began to make the rounds again, showing off the ultrasound photo and announcing that they were having a girl. Mac asked every female in attendance what their middle name was, trying to get some ideas for a name, and was surprised by the answers she got.

Carolyn Imes' middle name turned out to be Jean, Jackie Mattoni told them that her full name was Jacquelyn Christine. Senator Bobbie Latham was actually Roberta Jane, and Loren Singer was Loren Michelle.

"What is Francesca's middle name, sir?" Mac asked, as she stood talking to Admiral Chegwidden a short time later.

"Juliet," he smiled. "She has a very traditional Italian name. I've always liked the name Rachel. If I had ever had another daughter, I would have wanted her to be named Rachel."

"It is a beautiful name," Harm agreed, smiling at Mac.

"The Hebrew meaning is 'lamb' or 'ewe'," AJ told them. "But I like the Gaelic meaning better."

"What is that?" Mac asked, curiously.

"In Gaelic, it means, 'cherished'," he told them.

"That _is _beautiful," Mac said softly. "Cherished…" she whispered, smiling softly at Harm, who nodded as he, too, acknowledged the significance.

"All right everyone!" Harriet called, interrupting the moment. "It's time for Harm and Mac to open gifts! If you two will come over here and take a seat, we'll get started."

Harm and Mac sat in the seats at the front of the room that Harriet indicated, smiling bemusedly at one another.

**22:30 EST**

**Harm and Mac's Apartment**

**North of Union Station**

"We are definitely going to need a bigger place!" Harm exclaimed, as he set the last of the gifts they'd received down in the corner he'd designated for them and noted how cluttered the place seemed now. "Once we start adding baby supplies, this apartment is going to get mighty cramped, very quickly."

"Have we decided yet if we're buying a house or renting a bigger apartment?" Mac asked, handing him a bottle of water and opening one for herself.

"Between the two of us, we have enough saved for a sizeable down payment towards a house. Think we can find one in less than four months?" he asked.

"We could look," Mac said. "If we don't find something in three months, we can look for a two bedroom apartment and then continue to look for a house after the baby is born. Is that okay with you?"

Harm nodded. "Sounds good to me. Just promise me you won't run out and buy a house if I get sent out to sea duty," he grinned.

Mac chuckled, pulling him to her for a tender kiss. "I promise."

Harm pulled her with him towards the desk, where he opened up his laptop and signed onto the internet before doing a Google search for houses for sale in the areas they agreed would be acceptable to live in. "We can get a better deal if we go with a fixer-upper," he said, pulling her onto his lap. "Of course, we'll need to have it thoroughly inspected, first. I don't mind something that needs a facelift, but any major work is out of the question."

Mac smiled at him and nodded, as she turned her attention to the list of houses for sale and the accompanying photos. Pointing out the ones that appealed to her, they quickly compiled a list of about twenty houses they wanted to look at.

Once Harm had the list printed out, he kissed Mac tenderly, nuzzling her neck. "Ready to call it a night?" he asked, kissing the hollow behind her ear.

"I think I could be persuaded," she smiled, as she began unbuttoning his shirt and trailing kisses down his neck. Standing, she took his hand and led him to the bedroom, stopping only long enough to lock up and turn out the lights as they went.

Once they'd reached the bedroom, Mac gave Harm a gentle push to get him to sit on the end of the bed, before she began to slowly undress, teasing him as she went. Once she was fully naked, she moved into his arms and kissed him deeply, continuing to unbutton his shirt so that she could remove it from him.

They made short order of his clothing and Harm sat back down on the bed and pulled Mac back into his arms. Rubbing his flattened palm over her slightly rounded belly, he kissed the space between her breasts and smiled up at her. "I love you," he murmured.

"I love you, too," she responded softly.

Pulling her head down to him for another kiss, he began to run his hands all over her soft body, smiling as he felt her tremble beneath his touch. Trailing kisses down her neck, he made his way towards one taut nipple, swirling his tongue around it before taking it into his mouth and sucking greedily. He pulled back and blinked in surprise.

"What's wrong?" Mac asked, noting the look on his face.

"Um, nothing, really, just… I think your milk is starting to come in," he said, grinning sheepishly.

Mac looked surprised. "Oh… sorry. I didn't realize that it would happen so soon."

"It's okay," he assured her. "It's not bad; kind of… sweet. I'll just have to be more careful."

Mac smiled, closing her eyes and moaning softly when he resumed suckling at her breast, less intensely than before. "Oh, Harm…" she breathed.

Harm switched sides and gave the other breast equal attention, as he ran his palm up the inside of Mac's thigh and carefully ran a finger through her slick folds, before expertly manipulating her clit with his thumb as he thrust two fingers into her core.

Mac whimpered, moving against his hand as her breathing quickened. "More," she begged, just before Harm stood and pulled back the covers on the bed, carefully laying her in the center before moving so that he was kneeling between her parted thighs.

He inhaled deeply and kissed the inside of her thighs, before using his tongue and fingers to bring her to orgasm. As she came down from the high, he moved up her body and kissed her tenderly, caressing her face with his palm.

Mac smiled up at him, pushing him onto his back as she straddled him and guided him into her, sighing as he filled her completely. Rocking gently back and forth, she set a slow pace at first, using her hands to caress his chest and abdomen.

Harm watched her intently as she moved over him, her eyes closed and a look of sheer ecstasy making her even more beautiful than he thought possible.

Mac increased the pace, leaning over to grab hold of the headboard. Her eyes popped open when she felt Harm again take a breast into his mouth and suckle gently, and she moved faster, pushing herself down harder on him as his hands splayed on either side of her hips and helped her move.

"Harm!" she cried out, throwing her head back. "I can't wait…"

"I'm right there, sweetheart," he said roughly, crying out in pleasure as she changed positions so that he was even deeper than before.

A few more frantic thrusts, and Mac cried out his name, gasping in sheer pleasure, and a moment later, Harm followed.

"Mac!" he cried, wrapping his arms around her and tangling his fingers in her hair as he thrust up two more times and then pulled her down to him so that he could claim her lips with his own.

As Mac collapsed against him and put her head on his shoulder, both of them panting heavily, she smiled lazily.

"I love you, Sarah," Harm breathed into her ear. "I love you…"

"I love you, too," Mac whispered, tears filling her eyes. She stayed where she was a few moments longer, before sliding off of him and curling into his warm embrace.

Harm pulled the covers over them and kissed her forehead. "I like the name Rachel," he said quietly, after several long moments of silence. "Rachel Sarah Rabb…"

Mac smiled sleepily, nodding. "That's beautiful… but let's not settle on a middle name, just yet. I like Sarah, but I'm just not sure it's right for her."

"Okay," he agreed. "We'll keep looking for a middle name."

Harm hugged Mac closer with the arm that was around her and kissed her forehead, as he allowed his palm to rest over the soft swell where their child was, smiling contentedly as sleep finally claimed him.


	20. Chapter 20

A/N: As always, THANK YOU!!! to those that take the time to review. It means the world to me. I am trying to finish this story, as my husband has decided that he wants to separate and my life is being turned upside down. I will do my best to finish it, and hopefully soon. **This story is rated M for explicit sexual content, however this chapter is safe for everyone.** Enjoy...

**13:47 EST**

**JAG Headquarters**

**Falls Church, VA**

**Two weeks later**

Mac was sitting at her desk going over a case file, when she felt Rachel moving again. Smiling, she placed a hand over the area where she felt it, surprised when she felt a solid kick against her palm. Eyes wide, she stood up and hurried to Harm's office.

"Hey, what's up?" Harm asked with a smile, after she entered and closed the door.

Mac moved over to him, smiling widely. "Give me your hand."

"Huh?" he asked, confused.

Mac grabbed his hand and placed his palm over the area where she'd felt the kicking. "I felt it on the outside for the first time a minute ago…"

Harm's eyes widened in surprise as he, too, felt a solid kick just under his palm. With an awed expression, he sat still as he felt the kicking of his baby daughter for the first time.

Admiral Chegwidden knocked on the door, opening it before Harm answered, pausing as he saw Mac standing beside him. "Everything all right?" he asked, frowning slightly.

Mac turned her head, smiling at her CO as they both came to attention. "Yes, sir," she said. "This is the first time Harm has been able to feel her kicking."

AJ smiled, nodding. "As you were," he said, backing out of the office and again closing the door. He saw Harm resume his seat, and Mac again placed his hand in the right spot. His smile grew as he saw the Commander's eyes tear up as he looked up into Mac's face, and then he turned to go back to his office.

Harm leaned forward and kissed her belly. "Hello in there, sweetheart," he said.

Mac's smile grew wider, and she sighed softly. "This is so amazing."

"It is," Harm agreed, before standing and kissing her tenderly. "I would love to sit here and feel that all day, but I have a filing deadline to meet."

Mac chuckled, nodding. "I know… I'm neck deep in work, too. I'll see you in a few hours. I love you."

"I love you, too," Harm grinned, watching her walk out the door and back over to her own office. He could hardly wait until they got home tonight, so that he could spend more time feeling their child move.

Hours later, with dinner and the dishes finished for the evening, Mac reclined in the bed as Harm settled beside her. He smiled when she placed his palm over the spot where the baby was kicking.

"I will never get tired of that," he said softly.

"Me neither," Mac agreed.

Harm moved so that his face was closer to her belly, and he began to talk to the baby, all the while resting his hand on the spot where she was kicking.

When it was time to go to sleep, Mac turned on her side so that Harm could snuggle against her from behind, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her neck. "Have I said thank you, yet?"

"For what?" Mac asked, confused.

"For having my child, for agreeing to marry me… for being the most wonderful woman in the world. I love you, so much," he said.

Mac turned to look at him, tears running down her face. "You _are_ the perfect man," she said, sniffling. "I love you, too."

Harm chuckled lightly, hugging her to him. As soon as her even breathing told him she was asleep, he closed his eyes and drifted off, too.

**15:14 EST**

**Harm and Mac's Apartment**

**North of Union Station**

**May 24th**

Harm and Mac made sure that they had everything one last time, before they headed out to the Lexus, carrying the things they needed to take with them to the rehearsal tonight. The rehearsal was to be held at the chapel at Annapolis, and was to be followed by the rehearsal dinner at the Officer's Club that evening.

Mac had purposely arranged it so that they wouldn't get to see the sail boat until the actual wedding, since she wanted to surprise Harm.

"Brother, are you sure you have everything this time?" Sergei asked, as they joined him and Chloe down at the Lexus. His parents and grandmother were waiting near their rental car, which was parked behind the Lexus.

"We're sure," Harm smiled. "We'd better get a move on, or we're going to be late."

"You're _sure_ you have everything?" his mother asked again.

"We're sure!" Harm and Mac chorused together, smiling at each other.

"Then can we _go _already?" Chloe asked in exasperation.

Everyone chuckled, before they climbed into the vehicles they were traveling in and buckled their seatbelts.

Frank and Trish followed them to the hotel in Annapolis everyone would be staying at tonight, quickly checking in and getting the things they needed up to the appropriate rooms before everyone changed.

Mac had gotten a room for her, Chloe and Grandma Sarah to share, while Harm had a room for him and Sergei. The Admiral had his own room, as did Frank and Trish, as well as Bud, Harriet and Little AJ.

Most of the JAG staff were either driving out for the wedding the next day, or had made their own arrangements with the area hotels, if they were attending the rehearsal dinner that evening.

At exactly 16:45, everyone met in the hotel lobby, dressed and ready for the evening.

Harm smiled at his bride, moving to give her a tender kiss before he led her out to the Lexus. They were carpooling as much as possible, so they made their way out to the vehicles and climbed in, making sure everyone was situated before they headed towards the chapel.

The wedding rehearsal took a bit longer than anticipated, as they ran into a couple of snags they hadn't expected.

"It's okay, dear," Trish consoled a nearly frantic Mac, as they watched while the men worked out the details of the latest snafu. "That's what the rehearsal is for, to make sure the wedding goes smoothly."

The final run-through of the rehearsal went off without a hitch, and Mac visibly relaxed when Harm pulled her to him and kissed her soundly. They both breathed a sigh of relief when they separated, and then they started laughing.

"It's going to be okay, isn't it?" Mac asked, hugging him to her.

"Yes, it is," Harm assured her.

"Let's go, you two," Frank called from the back of the chapel. "Our dinner reservations are in ten minutes, and we've got a whole group of people waiting for us."

Harm gave her a wink and led her back out the doors, as the group made the short walk to the Officer's Club, where the rehearsal dinner was to be held.

After everyone had been seated, and dinner and drinks had been served, Bud stood and cleared his throat to get everyone's attention.

Taking a deep breath, Bud smiled softly at Harm and Mac before he began his toast.

"First, I'd like to thank you, Harm, for asking me to be your best man. It is my honor to stand with you, as you _finally_ marry the woman that you've loved for so long," he paused as everyone, including Harm and Mac, chuckled. "Here's to Harm and Mac: May your lives be filled with love, happiness, and much laughter."

Everyone raised their glasses, saying, 'To Harm and Mac', before taking a sip of their drinks.

Then Chaplain Turner, who had agreed to officiate at the wedding for them, said the blessing and they all began to eat.

As dinner wound down, and people shared some of their favorite 'Harm and Mac' moments, Mac glanced over and then did a double take, looking suddenly concerned. Harm was staring at her, a small smile on his face, his eyes shining.

"Is something wrong?" Mac asked, tucking a curl behind her ear.

"Mmm-mmm," Harm murmured, shaking his head 'no'. He smiled tenderly at her, before leaning over to kiss her, rubbing a palm over her extended abdomen. Since the first time he'd felt her kicking, he took every chance he could to touch her belly, enthralled by the movements of their daughter. "Just looking at the most beautiful woman in the world."

Mac blushed and smiled, caressing his face with her palm. "I love you," she said, leaning over to kiss him again.

"Ahem," Admiral Chegwidden cleared his throat, smiling as they broke apart. "I'd tell you two to get a room, but the groom isn't supposed to see the bride before the wedding."

Everyone in the room laughed, as Mac blushed and Harm gave them a saucy grin.

"That being said," AJ continued, still grinning, "it's getting late, so I'm going to turn in for the night; I'll see you in the morning."

Mac stood and kissed his cheek. "Thank you, Sir, for everything."

"My pleasure, Mac," he said.

"Good night, Sir," Harm said. "We'll see you in the morning."

"Good night," he said, nodding once to them before he left.

The crowd began to disperse, as those that carpooled together began to say goodnight and before long it was only Harm, Mac, Chloe, Harm's parents, Grandma Sarah, and Sergei left. Frank left to speak to the person in charge about the reception tomorrow afternoon, and then they all headed back out to Harm's SUV and the rental car Frank had gotten.

When they arrived at the hotel, Chloe and Grandma Sarah smiled as Harm stood outside of their hotel room door, waiting to say goodnight to Mac.

"This is going to kill me," he said, resting his forehead against hers. "I can't wait until tomorrow." He kissed her gently.

"I know," Mac said, smiling. "I feel the same way. Think they'd notice if we snuck away and got a room of our own?" She kissed him again.

Harm laughed at that. "Oh, yeah… my grandmother would skin us both." He gave her another tender kiss.

Mac laughed, too. "Darn! I love you," she said, placing another kiss on his mouth.

"I love you, too," he said, kissing her behind her ear, as his palm caressed her pregnant belly, feeling his daughter's strong kicks. He leaned down and kissed her belly, telling Rachel goodnight, before he moved up to kiss Mac again. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight," Mac said, kissing his jaw.

"I'll see you in the morning," he said, kissing her neck.

"Mmmhmm," Mac murmured, sighing.

"Harmon!" Grandma Sarah said through the cracked open door. "Go to your own room, already! You'll see her soon enough!"

Harm and Mac rested their foreheads together, laughing softly.

"Goodnight," they said in unison, smiling as they kissed each other one last time, and Mac slipped inside and closed the door.

Harm sighed and then moved to take the elevator up to the floor his and Sergei's room was on. It was going to be a very long night, he thought.

**09:26 EST**

**Annapolis Naval Academy**

**Annapolis, MD**

**May 25****th**

Harm stepped out of the limousine that had brought them to the Naval Academy, looking out towards the water, hoping to get a look at the sailboat that they were supposed to be getting married aboard today… and his mouth dropped open in shock.

There, moored serenely beside the docks, was a large, ancient-looking Clipper Ship.

"What…? How…?" Harm stuttered, staring in awe.

Admiral Chegwidden laughed and patted him on the back. "Mac wanted to surprise you."

"She did," Harm agreed, eyes still bulging out of his head, as they made their way towards the ancient wooden vessel.

"Mac remembered that the 'Agua Blanca' was going to be here for Spanish history month, and she asked me to help her make arrangements for you to hold your wedding aboard," AJ told him.

"It's amazing," Harm said, as they made their way up the gangway and boarded the ship.

Chaplain Turner was waiting for them near the brass steering wheel. He smiled when he saw Harm and the groomsmen, as the guests were already starting to arrive and be seated.

It didn't take long for all of the guests to arrive, and before Harm knew it, it was time to start the ceremony. Taking a deep breath, he smiled at Bud and nodded that he was ready.

Mac and the other ladies arrived promptly at 09:54 and climbed out of the limousine. Mac smiled at the oohs and aahs that chorused around her, as the women took in the sight of the massive Clipper Ship.

Admiral Chegwidden appeared and smiled at her, as he told the other ladies to hurry and board the ship, as they were just about ready to start. "Mac," he said. "I know you asked me to give you away… but would you be terribly disappointed if someone else took my place?"

Mac's face fell slightly. "Who, Sir?" she asked, confused.

"Well…" AJ said, smiling widely as he gestured behind her.

"Will I do?" a voice asked, as Mac turned to see her Uncle Matt standing there with a wide smile, dressed in a white tuxedo.

"Uncle Matt!" she exclaimed, rushing to him and hugging him tightly. "Oh my God! How did you~?"

"Harm and Admiral Chegwidden, along with Clayton Webb, worked very hard to get me paroled early," he told her, kissing her cheek. "I'm out for good, Sarah… as long as I behave myself, that is."

Mac looked at the Admiral and then hugged him tightly as well. "Thank you, Sir!"

AJ smiled, as he, too, kissed her cheek. "It was my pleasure, Mac."

"Mac!" Harriet called from the bottom of the gangway. "We're waiting for you!"

"I'm ready!" she said, still grinning, as she took her uncle's arm and allowed him to lead her up the gangway behind Admiral Chegwidden.

They reached the top, and the 'Bridal March' began, so all the guests stood to their feet and turned to watch as Mac made her way down the aisle towards Harm.

Harm turned when the music began, and his breath caught in his throat as he stared at Mac, walking slowly towards him with a large smile on her face. She was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen in his life.

She had opted for a cream-colored dress with a square neckline that showed off some cleavage, but wasn't too revealing, and the Empire-style waist softly accentuated her rounded abdomen. Her hair was curled softly, with a crown of pearls, cream-colored roses, and flowing ribbons atop her head.

Mac only had eyes for Harm, looking more handsome than she had ever thought possible in his dress whites, his gold wings shining in the sunlight.

Matthew O'Hara smiled softly as he kissed his niece's cheek and placed her hand in the crook of Harm's elbow. "Take care of her, son," he said quietly to Harm.

"I will, sir," he promised, and they turned to face Chaplain Turner.

The ceremony was beautiful, and when the Chaplain finally told Harm to kiss his bride, he turned towards her and pulled her into his arms, kissing her tenderly before they turned to face the assembled family and guests.

"May I present, for the first time, Mr. and Mrs. Harmon Rabb, Jr.," Chaplain Turner said, smiling widely.

Everyone cheered and clapped, as the guests were dismissed so that photos could be taken. As soon as the photo shoot was finished, the wedding party made their way to the Officer's Club to join the reception.

Lunch was served at 12:30, and then Harm and Mac mingled and danced, until it was time to cut the cake.

After the cake was served, toasts were made, more dances had been shared, and then the garter and bouquet had been tossed, Harm and Mac were ready to make their escape.

Through a cheering crowd tossing bird seed in their direction, Harm and Mac climbed into the limousine that waited for them, kissing each other as they laughed happily.

"I love you, Mrs. Rabb," Harm said, kissing her softly again.

"I love you, too," she breathed, sitting back and closing her eyes with a soft sigh.

They returned to the hotel just long enough to change and grab their luggage, before they were taken to Washington Dulles International airport, where they were to catch their flight to Reno, Nevada.

Once settled on the plane, Mac grabbed Harm's hand and placed it over the spot where Rachel was kicking wildly again, smiling at him.

Harm leaned over in his seat and kissed her belly. "Hey in there, give your mom a break, huh?" he said, receiving another hard kick in response.

Mac laughed, before she put her head back and closed her eyes. "Wake me when we're ready to land."

"I will," Harm said, his hand still resting on her abdomen. He loved feeling the baby move, so he was in no hurry to move it, as he watched his new wife slip off to sleep.


	21. Chapter 21

A/N: This story is rate M for sexually explicit content. DO NOT read if you are underage, or if such material offends you. As always, THANK YOU!!! to those who take the time to review. It keeps me motivated!! I am currently going through some serious personal stuff, and will probably end up in an in-patient facility for people with depression/anxiety issues for awhile (up to a year), so if I suddenly stop posting, please don't be concerned. I will finish this as soon as Real Life allows. Enjoy...

**17:41 PST**

**Reno/Tahoe International Airport**

**Reno, NV**

**May 25****th**

Their plane landed right on time, so Harm and Mac quickly gathered their luggage and made their way to the counter for the company that they were renting their car from.

While Harm spoke to the man behind the counter, Mac turned and watched the people sitting at the slot machines, shaking her head at how foolish it was for people to feed their money to a machine.

"We're ready," Harm told her. "They're going to meet us out front."

Mac smiled at him and accepted his arm, as they made their way out the front doors to the curb. A dark blue SUV pulled up in front of the curb a few minutes later, and a man wearing the uniform of the rental company hopped out and opened the hatch for them, helping Harm to put their luggage inside.

Harm tipped the man and helped Mac into the passenger seat, before making his way to the driver's side and climbing in. "Ready?" he asked, smiling.

Mac nodded, as she gave him directions on how to get onto the freeway. "Take 395 southbound towards Carson City," she told him. "It will end just at Mt. Rose highway, and we'll take that up to Lake Tahoe."

Harm nodded his understanding and got onto the freeway. "I'm glad we agreed to honeymoon at Lake Tahoe," he said, smiling. "I know we can't go water skiing this time, but there are plenty of other things for us to do."

"You can water ski, if you want to," she smiled. "They have people that give lessons up there. I can get some sun, or go shopping."

Harm took her hand in his and kissed it. "You could… but I don't want to ski without you. I really do want you to teach me someday."

Mac smiled and nodded her head, as she watched the city pass by. "We should stop someplace and eat. It's at least forty-five minutes up to The Lake from here."

"Any preferences?" Harm asked.

Mac shook her head. "Whatever we see on the way."

Harm got off the freeway and turned left onto South Virginia Street, seeing a mall to the left, and thinking it must have a couple of decent restaurants.

"Oh!" Mac exclaimed, seconds before he had almost gotten into the left hand turn lane. "Macaroni Grill! Let's go there."

Harm chuckled and nodded, staying in the right hand lane and pulling into the parking lot. It took him a few minutes to find a parking spot. "It's packed here," he noted. "Sure you want to wait?"

"Mmmhmm," Mac said, nodding. "Chicken parmesan and a ton of garlic bread sounds really good right now."

Harm went up and spoke to the girl at the podium, wincing when he was told that it was a thirty to forty-five minute wait. "That's fine," he said, though he hated the thought. He took the little buzzer that she handed him that would alert them when their table was ready, and then made his way back to Mac.

"How long?" she asked, noting the look on his face.

"Thirty minutes or more," he sighed.

"There are some stores behind here," she said. "Let's go look around."

Harm checked with the girl to make sure the stores were in range of the buzzer, and then followed Mac across the parking lot towards the book store.

They browsed for awhile, Mac picking out some CD's she wanted and then they made their way down to the tourist display.

Harm found a pink baby 'Onesie' style t-shirt that said 'Reno, NV' on it, and decided that he'd buy that for Rachel.

Mac smiled when he showed it to her, as she picked out a couple of items herself.

After they'd stopped at the rental car long enough to put their purchases in it, they made their way back to the restaurant and Mac took a seat on the nearby bench.

"Do you want something to drink?" Harm asked.

"My usual, please," she smiled.

Harm nodded and made his way to the bar, ordering a soda with a twist of lime for Mac, and a glass of wine for himself. He had just rejoined her, when the buzzer went off. Handing the annoying thing to the girl at the podium, they were quickly seated at a table.

The young waiter brought them both a glass of ice water, before asking if they preferred soup or salad with their meals. When they both said salad, he nodded and took off, returning a moment later with a large bowl of salad, a basket full of warm garlic bread, and two plates.

"Fresh parmesan?" he asked, holding a grater up.

Harm nodded and the young man grated the cheese over the salad until Harm told him to stop. Then he asked if they were ready, or if they needed more time.

Mac nodded to Harm, and he smiled.

"The new Mrs. Rabb here will have the chicken parmesan, and I'll have the eggplant parmesan, please."

"Newlyweds, huh?" he asked, as soon as he was done writing down their order. "When did you get married?"

"About eight hours ago," Harm smiled, kissing Mac's knuckles.

"Congratulations," the young man said. "Honeymooning here in Reno?"

"Tahoe," Mac said, smiling at Harm still.

"Great place," he said, nodding. "I'll return shortly with your food."

They had just finished dinner a short time later, when the young man and most of the restaurant staff came up to their table, carrying a huge glass full of the most decadent hot fudge sundae Mac had ever seen, and singing some silly congratulations song. When they'd finished, the entire restaurant clapped for them.

Blushing furiously, they thanked them and then waited until they'd been left alone again before they each picked up a spoon and started eating.

"Ohhh…" Mac moaned happily. "This is good."

"Mmm," Harm said, nodding. "It's not bad."

Mac gave him an incredulous look, shaking her head in exasperation, before she dug in again.

As soon as the tab was paid and Harm had left a generous tip for their young waiter, they made their way out to the SUV and got back onto the freeway, heading towards Lake Tahoe.

As Mac had predicted, it took them nearly forty minutes to get up to The Lake, and another thirty to get to their hotel.

**21:14 PST**

**Harvey's Resort**

**South Lake Tahoe, NV**

**May 25****th**

As Harm carried Mac over the threshold of their fifteenth floor room, Mac smiled at him. "Are we too heavy?" she asked.

"Not at all," he grinned, setting her down on her feet so that he could tip the bellhop. As soon as they were alone, he put the 'do not disturb' sign on the door and pulled his wife to him for a lingering kiss. "Are you tired?"

Mac shook her head 'no', as she smiled seductively at him. "This is why I napped on the plane. I wanted to be well-rested for tonight."

"Well, in that case," Harm said, smiling just before he kissed her again. "Why don't you go take a bath and get more comfortable?"

Mac smiled softly and nodded, waiting for him to place her suitcase on the bed so that she could retrieve the items she would need. Then she kissed him again and disappeared into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her.

Harm stripped down to his boxers and t-shirt, before pulling the bedding back. He turned off the overhead light and turned on one of the bedside lamps, and then sat down in the chair near the window with the book he was reading.

Mac stepped out of the bathroom a few minutes later, dressed in a blue satin nightgown. She smiled when she saw that he'd prepared the room, moving over to kiss him tenderly. "Your turn for the bathroom, Mr. Rabb."

Harm smiled and nodded, setting his book aside and gathering the items he needed from his suitcase before disappearing behind the bathroom door.

Mac unpacked their suitcases, and was just finishing when Harm stepped out of the bathroom.

"Let me put these away, so we can relax," he told her, picking up the empty cases. He put them into the closet in the dressing area, while Mac hung up the items that needed to be hung up. Once things were settled, they moved to the bedroom and climbed into the bed, where Harm immediately pulled her into his arms and kissed her deeply.

"I love you," he said softly. "I can hardly believe that you are finally my wife."

"I love you, too, Harm." Mac touched her nose to his and sighed. "Make love to me, Mr. Rabb," she breathed.

"With pleasure, Mrs. Rabb," Harm replied, his mouth descending onto hers once again.

He trailed kisses to her neck and then back to her mouth, as his hands caressed her body through the thin nightgown that she wore. Helping her out of the obtrusive garment, he gently cupped her full breasts in his palms before taking one taut nipple into his mouth and sucking carefully, mindful of how sensitive they had become in recent weeks.

Mac arched her back towards him, sighing in pleasure as one hand threaded through his short, dark hair, while the other caressed his arm, up to his shoulder, and then down his chest to his firm, flat abdomen.

While his mouth was busy tasting and teasing her breasts, Harm used his free hand to caress her rounded abdomen, before making his way to the valley between her thighs. Slipping a finger through her wet folds, he drew some of her juices out of her body to lubricate her swollen clit, before teasing the hardened nub gently.

"Harm!" Mac cried out, her core tightening as her desire for him increased. Her breathing sped up, as she rocked her hips against his probing fingers, whimpering in pleasure.

"Turn over," Harm whispered into her ear, after he'd kissed her thoroughly again.

Mac complied, spooning herself against him, feeling his hard cock against her butt.

Harm cupped a breast with one hand, lightly pulling at the nipple with his thumb and forefinger and then massaging it gently, as he adjusted their position so that he could slip into her.

As soon as he was in as far as he could go, he reached down around her and began stroking her clitoris again, thrusting gently in and out of her.

"Oh, god, Mac," he groaned softly into her ear. "You feel so good."

Mac was moaning softly, rocking her hips in time to his own movements, as she spiraled towards climax. "Harm… please… harder… faster…"

"I don't want to hurt you," he whispered into her ear.

"You won't," she promised. "Please…"

Nodding his head, Harm readjusted their position and increased his pace, thrusting hard and fast into her. He increased the movement and pressure of his fingers on her clit, and a moment later she screamed his name in release, sending him over the edge as well. Hugging her to him, he waited until he'd calmed somewhat before kissing her shoulder and pulling out of her.

Mac rolled back over to face him, burrowing into his warm embrace.

Harm tilted her chin up and kissed her deeply. "I love you… so much."

"I love you, too," Mac sighed happily.

Harm placed a hand between them to caress her pregnant belly. "She okay?"

Mac smiled softly, touched by his concern. "Yeah. She'll sleep for awhile, now… she always does after we make love."

Harm looked surprised at that, then kissed her forehead. "You should sleep, too."

Mac nodded, closing her eyes.

Harm caressed her tummy until she finally fell asleep, before wrapping his arms around her and allowing sleep to claim him, as well.

**08:31 PST**

**Harvey's Resort**

**South Lake Tahoe, NV**

**May 26****th**

Mac awoke and stretched, smiling happily as thoughts of the previous night invaded her consciousness. She and Harm had made love three more times throughout the night, and she felt wonderful. Looking over, she realized that Harm was not in the bed beside her, so she climbed out and headed for the bathroom to look for him.

"Harm?" she called, knocking on the bathroom door.

"It's open," he said.

Mac opened the bathroom door and stepped inside, smiling as she saw that he was shaving. Wrapping her arms around him from behind, she kissed his shoulder. "How long have you been up?"

"Thirty minutes, or so," he replied, as she released him and leaned against the sink. "Do you need to use the head?"

"I can wait until you're finished," she assured him. They had an unspoken agreement that using the toilet was the one thing they still gave each other privacy for.

"So, what's on the agenda for the day?" Harm asked.

"How about a drive around The Lake? We can take our time and do some sightseeing, and some shopping. I figure we can probably have lunch somewhere on the north shore side," she replied.

"Sounds good to me," he smiled."Maybe we can hike down to Vikingsholm and then climb back up Eagle Rock Falls," she said.

"Mac… you're six months pregnant. Any activity that involves hiking, and/or a climb, probably is out," he said carefully.

"Harm," she said, giving him a pointed look, before sighing. "We'll see, okay? I think I can handle it, but we'll decide when we get there."

Harm rinsed off the remaining shaving cream and dried his face with a towel, nodding. He didn't like the idea, but he didn't want to fight on their honeymoon, either. "Okay."

Mac was surprised he didn't argue further, but she was glad that he didn't. "I'll be out shortly," she said, kissing him before closing the door behind him.

Harm moved out to the dressing area and got dressed, opting for a pair of denim shorts that stopped at his knees, a dark green t-shirt, and his sneakers. Then he ordered up a light breakfast of muffins, fruit and coffee (decaf for Mac).

Mac had just stepped out of the dressing area, setting a small duffel bag on the bed, when breakfast arrived.

"What's that for?" Harm asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Warmer clothes for both of us, a thermal blanket, a few snacks and bottled water," she said. "It's only Spring, so the weather could still change on us."

Harm nodded his understanding, as he held her chair for her and kissed her forehead.

They sat close to one another, talking and enjoying their meal, sharing kisses and light caresses all the while. When they had finished, they grabbed their jackets and the duffel bag, heading down to valet parking.

As soon as they were in their rented SUV, Harm pulled out onto the road and headed west around Lake Tahoe.


	22. Chapter 22

Well, I managed to get two more chapters written for this tale, so I hope that you like them! Reviews are always greatly appreciated, even if I can't reply to you in person. This story is not Beta'd so all mistakes are my own. As I've said before, I grew up in the Reno/Lake Tahoe area (and have recently moved home!) so I know the places I'm writing about very well. Enjoy!

**10:47 PST**

**Parking Lot at Emerald Bay**

**Lake Tahoe, CA**

**May 26****th **

Harm and Mac had taken Lake Tahoe Blvd. to the 'Y', stopping to browse the shops for a while before taking a right and continuing on Emerald Bay Rd. They stopped at Camp Richardson and toured the Lake Tahoe Marine Center, and then continued on a short distance to the Visitor's Center. After speaking to the kind middle-aged woman there for a while and being loaded down with pamphlets on area activities, as well as given several maps, they headed back out to Emerald Bay Rd. and on around a narrow two-lane road that twisted and turned its way slowly up the side of the mountain and around the lake. They came to a parking area a short while later, Harm parking the SUV while Mac made her way to the bathroom.

Once their vehicle was parked, Harm made his way to the bathrooms for a pit-stop and then he and Mac made their way up to the viewing area that overlooked Emerald Bay and Fannette Island, reading the signs that gave a history, as well as information, on the area.

Once again making their way back to their rental, they drove just a short way to another parking lot, which stood at the beginning of a trailhead that led down to the beach at Emerald Bay, and Harm stopped to read the sign before frowning slightly.

"Mac," he said as she looped the strap of her purse over her head so that it was slung diagonally across her and hung at her hip. "It says that it is a mile walk down to the beach."

"I know," Mac said, pulling two bottles of water from their duffel bag and putting them into her purse.

"That means it's also a mile hike back up, once we're done," he said, clearly worried.

"Harm," Mac sighed. "I'm in good shape, and my doctor is still letting me do my usual five mile runs three times a week… a walk down to the beach and then back up the hill won't hurt me or the baby. I promise if I have even so much as a twinge we'll stop and rest. Okay?" While the part of her that was his wife and the mother of his unborn child loved that he was concerned, the Marine in her wanted to slug him for being so overprotective.

Harm winced, looking intently at her for several minutes before finally letting out a long sigh and nodding. "Okay; yeah. But even so much as a twinge and we stop."

Mac smiled and moved to him, placing both palms on his chest and leaning up to kiss him tenderly. "Promise; now come on," she grinned. "I want to get back here and find someplace for lunch before too much longer." She took his hand and started leading him down the trail that led to the beach.

They took their time following the meandering path down towards the shore, walking hand in hand and just enjoying the beautiful spring day, the outdoors, and one another's company. Once they'd reached the bottom, they headed over to Vikingsholm to check out the old stone house, disappointed to find that tours for the old mansion didn't start for another two weeks. Shrugging it off, they made their way to the beach, walking to the end of the pier where they stood at the end and looked down into the clear water and Harm was surprised that they could see the bottom from where they were.

"That water is the clearest I think I've ever seen," Harm said, smiling when he saw the fish swimming around the rocks.

"It is," Mac smiled, nodding. She sat down at the end of the pier, allowing her legs to dangle over the side and Harm sat down behind her, wrapping his arms around her and splaying his large hands over her extended abdomen.

Mac leaned back against him and put her head on his shoulder, smiling contentedly. "It's so peaceful here," she murmured as they watched the boats in the bay.

"Mmm," Harm agreed with a slow nod before nuzzling her neck. "I love you."

"I love you too," Mac sighed happily and they sat in silence for a long while. Finally, she spoke softly. "I was thinking about some of the houses we looked at… I really liked the one in Falls Church, near the park. It needs some work but I can see us making it our own."

Harm nodded thoughtfully. "It was nice… big, too. We're not going to find anything that big in our price range anywhere else, either."

"That's true," she said. "It's on three quarters of an acre too, which is something else we won't find in our price range anywhere else. I think doing a little bit of cosmetic work~ okay, a lot of cosmetic work," she laughed at his snort, "is worth it in the long run, though. The fact that the house has been sitting empty for over a year and a half doesn't help, either."

"Which makes me a little leery," he sighed, nodding. "Why would a house that size, on that amount of land, be sitting empty for so long? I mean, yeah it needs work but that shouldn't be that much of a deterrent."

"Maybe it's haunted," she grinned up at him, laughing when he groaned.

"Funny Marine," he said, kissing her neck again. He heard her stomach growl and felt Rachel give several hard kicks, and laughed. "We'd better head back up to the car so I can feed you two."

"Good idea Squid," Mac said, laughing too.

Harm stood and then helped her up, continuing to hold her hand as they made their way back up the trail, stopping occasionally to rest.

As soon as they were both securely buckled into the SUV, Harm breathed a sigh of relief that everything had gone smoothly and turned the vehicle out onto Emerald Bay Rd. to continue their journey around the lake.


	23. Chapter 23

Okay, another chapter for you... in case you missed it, I updated chapter 22 from an author's note to an actual chapter of the story. Enjoy!

**13:13 PST**

**Bridge Tender Restaurant**

**Tahoe City, CA**

**May 26****th **

They took their seats at the restaurant and both ordered iced tea, before they picked up their menus and started looking them over.

"That waitress thinks you're hot," Mac whispered with a grin.

Harm looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "Huh? Oh, maybe," he shrugged. "I, my love, only have eyes for you," he said, kissing her tenderly.

"Good answer," Mac smiled, kissing him again. She turned her attention to the menu again and tried to decide on something.

"The grilled bass sounds good," Harm commented.

Mac nodded. "Actually, I'm thinking the chili burger sounds really good," she smiled. "With onion rings and waffle fries."

"Ma-ac," Harm groaned, dragging her name out. "That stuff isn't good for either of you."

"It's not like I eat stuff like that every day," she told him, rolling her eyes. "This is our honeymoon, so it's a special occasion."

"Okay," he said, shaking his head. "I'll quit nagging."

"Thank you," Mac chuckled, leaning over to kiss him.

The waitress arrived at that moment, looking to Harm. "Are you ready to order?"

"Yes we are," he replied, motioning for Mac to go first.

"I'll have the chili burger, well done, with extra cheese and onions and a side of sour cream," she told the waitress. "I'll also have a half and half order of waffle fries and onion rings, and a dinner salad with no dressing."

"Would you like lemon on it?" the waitress asked.

"No thank you," Mac smiled. "Just plain is fine."

The waitress nodded, writing down the order and then looked at Harm. "What'll you have sweetie?"

"I'll have the grilled catfish with the rice pilaf and the seasonal veggies," he told her. "May I please have a dinner salad as well, with the vinaigrette on the side?"

"Sure thing," she said, smiling softly at him. "Can I get you anything else?"

"No thank you," Harm said, taking Mac's left hand and kissing the knuckle just below her wedding rings, making sure the waitress saw them.

The waitress did see them, frowning slightly before she turned on her heel and left them alone.

"Harm," Mac giggled as soon as the woman was gone.

"Hey, I wanted to make sure she knows that I am unavailable. I have the only woman I'll ever want, right here," he said, caressing her fingers.

"When did Harmon Rabb become such a romantic?" she sighed.

"When he got his head out of his six and admitted that he was in love with a beautiful Marine," he grinned.

The waitress brought their salads a few minutes later and they talked about the house that they'd both agreed that they liked in Falls Church.

"Well, I won't even consider making an offer until I have our own person inspect the place for any serious work that might need to be done," Harm said, once their meals had been set in front of them. "But if there's nothing major wrong, what kind of an offer do you think we should make?"

"I'd say we should start with a hundred thousand less than what they're asking and see if they come back with a counter offer," Mac said. "If they feel the place has been sitting empty long enough, they might be willing to take whatever they can get, especially since it obviously needs a lot of work done on it before we can even move in."

Harm nodded, smiling at her. "You know, we're down to less than three months before D-day. Are you sure you're up to moving into a house that needs so much work?"

"I'm sure," she smiled. "Rachel is going to be the oldest of what I hope are many children and we're going to need room for them all."

"How many are you talking here?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Mac shrugged. "I don't know. I figure we should just take it one at a time and we'll know when our family is complete, but I've always wanted a pretty large family. As much as I would never want anyone else to have to have lived through my childhood, I still hated being an only child growing up."

Harm smiled, taking her hand and kissing her knuckles again. "I know exactly what you mean. I wouldn't have wanted a sibling to have to go through missing my dad, but even when Mom remarried, I always wondered why they didn't have any kids of their own. I decided that when I found the right woman, I'd want to have at least three or four kids; maybe more."

They finished their meals and then walked across the street to the dam, looking down into the pool in front of it.

"I have never seen catfish that big in my entire life," Harm said, eyes wide. "They must weigh ten to twenty pounds each!"

Mac nodded, also amazed.

"There's no fishing allowed here and people feed them regularly, and they have all this space so they just keep growing," an elderly man standing on the other side of Harm said with a smile. "The record setter was forty-two pounds, when he finally died. Jake Regan," he said, holding out his hand for them to shake.

"Harm and Sarah Rabb," Harm told him, indicating Mac as they shook his hand. "Are you from around here?"

"Lived here all my life," he nodded. "Where you folks from?"

"Washington DC," Harm smiled. "We're here on our honeymoon."

"Congratulations," Jake smiled again. "On the little one too," he added, nodding towards Mac's extended abdomen.

"Thank you," Mac smiled softly, rubbing her belly with one hand.

"If you folks get a chance, you might want to take the Ponderosa Ranch pancake breakfast hayride while you're here," Jake told them. "It's over on the other side of the lake from here. They do a hayride up the mountain first thing in the morning and there's a huge breakfast served up there at the end; all the pancakes, eggs, bacon and sausage you can handle, coffee, milk and juice, too. This time of year you'd better plan to dress in layers, if you do it. It's pretty cold first thing in the morning, but it warms up right quick soon as the sun's up."

"Sounds like fun," Mac said, looking to Harm with raised eyebrows.

"It does," Harm agreed. "Thank you, Jake."

"You're quite welcome," Jake said, nodding. "I'll let you young folks get back to your honeymoon. Enjoy Lake Tahoe." With that, he turned and strode away.

"Are you ready to go?" Mac asked. "I want to hit the shops in Kings Beach before too much later."

"Then we'd better go," Harm smiled. "There's just one thing I need to do first."

"What's that?" Mac asked, puzzled.

Harm pulled her into his arms. "This," he breathed just before his lips claimed hers in a long, loving kiss. When they finally separated he caressed her face tenderly. "I love you Mrs. Rabb."

Mac grinned widely at him. "I love you too."

"C'mon," Harm said, tilting his head towards the parking lot across the street. "Let's get going."

Mac nodded, accepting his offered hand, and they made their way back to the SUV they'd rented before heading out again.

**19:47 PST**

**Harvey's Resort**

**South Lake Tahoe, NV**

**May 26****th **

Harm opened the door for Mac and allowed her to enter their room first, both exhausted and happy from their adventurous day.

"I'm going to take a hot bath and then I'll be ready to climb into that bed and snuggle up to you while we watch a movie on cable," she said.

"Okay honey," Harm replied, kissing her forehead. He watched as she made her way towards the bathroom before unloading the duffel they'd packed and putting things away, before stowing the duffel in the top of the closet. He then called room service and ordered up some dessert and hot chocolate before stripping down to his boxers and putting his robe on.

Mac was just emerging from the bathroom, dressed in her nightgown and robe, when room service arrived. She watched as Harm paid the tip and then accepted the tray from the young woman before closing the door behind him and setting the tray on the table near the window.

"Dessert and hot chocolate," he told her, smiling as he indicated the tray. "I'm going to take a quick shower, then I'll be right out to join you."

Mac smiled and nodded, kissing him tenderly before he went towards the bathroom for his shower.

Ten minutes later Harm returned and sat across from her at the small table, pouring the hot chocolate from the insulated carafe and lifting the lid covering their dessert.

There was an assortment of chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin and snicker doodles cookies, as well as two slices each of banana cream, coconut cream and chocolate cream pie.

"I've died and gone to heaven," Mac grinned, eyeing the luscious looking desserts. She grabbed a slice of coconut cream pie and took a large bite, sighing happily. "Perfect."

Harm chuckled lightly and took a slice of the banana cream pie, as well as an oatmeal cookie, and tucked into it.

They talked about their favorite parts of the day and discussed their plans for the next day, as they sat together and enjoyed their desserts and hot chocolate. When they'd had enough, Harm placed the leftover desserts into the small room refrigerator and poured them each another cup of hot chocolate. He held Mac's cup for her while she settled herself against the pillows in the bed, carefully handing it over to her and then set his own cup on the night table while he climbed in beside her, placing an arm over her shoulders as she flipped on the movie channels and tried to find something that garnered her interest.

They watched 'Regarding Henry' on HBO and Mac was sobbing quietly by the end of the film, with Harm holding rubbing her back soothingly as he flipped off the television.

"Hey," he said softly, kissing the top of her head. "Hey, now; it was only a movie."

"I know," Mac nodded, sniffling.

Harm grabbed a couple of tissues from the bedside and handed them to her. "You okay?"

"I'm fine," she nodded, sitting up and wiping her eyes with one tissue and her nose with the other. "Hormones in overdrive, I guess." She gave him a watery smile.

"It's okay," he said, tilting her face up and kissing her gently. "I love you."

"I love you too," she said, smiling.

They scooted down under the covers and Harm turned to face Mac, pulling her to him and holding her close, one hand resting on her abdomen feeling Rachel's movements.

They were silent for a long while, content with just being together and Harm was nearly asleep when he heard Mac's soft voice call his name.

"Harm?" she murmured.

"Yeah?" he replied sleepily.

"Do you remember when we were up in the mountains and we'd just made love, and you told me that you'd always love me… and then I started crying?" she asked softly.

Harm was instantly alert. "Yeah, I remember. When I asked you what was wrong, you said you didn't know… but I had a feeling it was more that you just didn't know how to put it into words. Am I right?"

Mac sighed and nodded. "When you said that, I looked into your eyes and I could see that you were telling me the truth. Well, there were a couple things significant about that moment in time that made me fall apart like that."

"I'm listening," he encouraged, hugging her lightly.


	24. Chapter 24

Thanks so much to everyone that has taken time to review! I sincerely appreciate them, even if I don't get to reply privately. I realized after going back and reading previously posted chapters that I made a mistake in the notes... this takes place during season 7(?) I believe... after the whole Mic/Renee nightmare, when they were doing really well together and obviously takes an AU route after that. This was a hard chapter for me to write... I am really missing my husband lately and hindsight being 20/20, I can see how my being bipolar with borderline personality disorder (and having been off my meds for several months) clouded my view of things just before he died. This chapter is dedicated to him~ he taught me what unconditional love really was and I'll never forget that.

**23:18 PST**

**Harvey's Resort**

**South Lake Tahoe, NV**

**May 26****th **

Mac sighed softly once again as she thought about how to start. "I've already told you a little about what my family was like when I was growing up; my father was an alcoholic who regularly beat my mother and screamed at me. I can't ever remember a time when he wasn't like that…" she said softly.

Harm was silent, wanting her to be able to process and also wanting her to continue. He did lightly kiss her forehead in silent support, however.

"I never once remember ever hearing my father tell me he loved me," she continued. "After my mother left us, he would yell at me when he was drunk and call me names. I remember him saying, 'what's my stupid tramp daughter done now?' or 'what did you do now, you little whore?', but I can't remember him ever telling me he was proud of me or that he loved me," she blinked rapidly, trying to dispel the tears forming in her eyes. "When I met Chris Ragle, he would tell me I was gorgeous or hot, but I don't ever remember him telling me he loved me… not when we were sober; I don't remember when we were drunk. Even after we were married, I can't remember him ever saying the words. Eddie was my best friend; we were more like buddies than boyfriend and girlfriend, so he never said the words, either. My Uncle Matt told me that he loved me and I knew he meant it, but it wasn't the kind of love I'd been looking for, you know?" She sighed shook her head slightly. "I felt like his love was somehow conditional; on my drying out and sobering up, on my going to college and joining the Corps… I know he never intended it that way, but it's still how I felt. Does that make sense?" She looked into his eyes hesitantly.

"Yes," Harm assured her, giving her a gentle squeeze and nodding. "Go on."

Mac nodded. "Then along came John Farrow and it was the first time a man, other than my uncle, had told me he loved me. I got so caught up in the idea of it... I think because it was something I had wanted for so long. I don't presume to know how he felt, but I do know that when it came down to choosing me or the Corps… well, you know how that turned out. I didn't really have any serious relationships after that until I met Dalton and again, he told me he loved me and I got all caught up in the idea of being loved, but he was another man whose love was conditional on my actions. First I had to leave the Corps and when that turned out to be such a colossal mess, he expected me to make concessions for him. When he blatantly used me to get information about a case, he just expected me to let it go and pretend everything was fine," she said, shaking her head and rolling her eyes. "Then there was Mic…" she trailed off and was silent for a moment before continuing. "That was all kinds of wrong and I just refused to see it. Looking back I can see how he would use his declarations of love to manipulate me and get his own way. Again, I don't presume to know his feelings, but what kind of love is that?" Again she shook her head and sighed softly. "That day in the mountains, you said you would always love me… after I'd just told you that I'd messed up and was possibly pregnant, after we'd just spent time talking to each other and having some pretty intense discussions… you told me you loved me and swore that you _always_ would and I could see in your eyes that it was the absolute truth. You know all my dirty secrets, all the mistakes I've made~ hell, you've witnessed several of them firsthand~ you've seen me at my best and my worst and yet you still loved _me_ just for me; no strings attached." Her eyes teared up and she choked out the rest of the words on a hoarse whisper. "That's the love I've wanted and needed my whole life!"

Harm's own eyes teared up and he was truly humbled. The fact that he, in all his imperfection, could have been the one man to have given this incredibly amazing and beautiful woman the one thing she'd needed her whole life… words couldn't express how it made him feel. "Oh Sarah," he breathed, tenderly kissing first her forehead, then each eyelid and each of her cheeks before finally finding her mouth and giving her a soft, reverent kiss.

They held one another and cried softly together, their tears mingling where their cheeks met and finally Mac pulled away slightly to look into his eyes.

"Thank you," she said quietly, her palm cupping his cheek. "I promise to do everything in my power to be worthy of the love you've given me."

Harm turned his head slightly and kissed her palm before mirroring her action and cupping her cheek with his own palm. "Just being you makes you worthy," he assured her before kissing her again. When he looked at her again, he could see how happy she was radiating from her whole being. She started running her palms along the solid wall of his chest as she kissed him again, this time with more passion.

Harm pulled away and grasped her hands in his, kissing her forehead. "Mac, don't think for a single moment that I don't want to make love to you, because I do… I always will… but what I want most right now is just to hold my beautiful, perfect wife close and just be here with you. Is that all right?"

Mac nearly started crying again as she smiled at him and nodded her head. "I'd like that."

Harm returned her smile and held her close, gently caressing her body with a light touch as they looked into one another's eyes and reveled in their love for each other.

When Mac finally drifted off to sleep, Harm gave her one last tender kiss before he closed his own eyes and finally allowed sleep to claim him.


	25. Chapter 25

THANK YOU to everyone that has taken the time to review~ it truly keeps me motivated! This is dedicated to the wonderful Ponderosa Ranch from the television show 'Bonanza'. Sadly the new owner closed the doors of the theme park in September 2004 (grrr!) with no definite plans to reopen it. The park holds many great memories for me, both as a kid and the one trip I took with my late husband and (now grown) daughters back in 1999. I hope you enjoy these next couple of chapters and my trip down memory lane!

**06:45 PST**

**Ponderosa Ranch**

**Incline Village, NV**

**May 27****th**

Mac wrapped her coat around her a little tighter and shivered slightly in the chill mountain air. The sun had risen a short time ago but it was still behind the mountains and so the air was crisp and cold.

Harm wrapped his arms around her from behind and leaned forward to kiss her cheek. "The girl at the ticket booth said that they'll start loading the hay wagon in about fifteen minutes."

Mac nodded and smiled.

"Have you folks ever been here before?" an old man dressed in old western attire standing close by asked them, smiling. His name tag said he worked for the Ponderosa Ranch and his name was 'Sully'.

"Nope; it's our first time," Harm replied. "I loved to watch Bonanza as a kid and I've always wanted to visit the Ponderosa Ranch but this is the first time I've had the chance."

"You'll love it," Sully replied, chuckling. "The hay ride is fun but there are 'bandits' that ambush it… just play along." He said, winking. "If you get a chance you should head over to Virginia City; there's lots to do and see and it's one of the places that was referenced frequently on the old television show, too. It's about a forty-five minute drive but well worth spending a day there. If you go, make sure you visit Grandma's Fudge Factory and see the Silver Dollar Queen."

Mac glanced back at Harm before they looked at Sully and smiled. "Mmm fudge… thank you, we may just do that," she said.

"Where are you folks from, if you don't mind my asking," asked Sully.

"Washington, DC; we're here on our honeymoon," Mac replied.

"Ah… newlyweds, eh? Congratulations," Sully said.

"Thank you," both Harm and Mac said in unison.

A hay wagon pulled by a couple of large draft horses pulled up and Harm and Mac waited until the other people around them were on before Harm helped Mac climb up. He took a seat on one of the hay bales beside Mac, wrapping his arm around her and pulling her close as Sully hopped aboard and secured the back of the wagon with a gate made of old chain.

"Good morning everyone and welcome to the Ponderosa Ranch; we ask that during the ride you remain seated and keep your arms and legs inside the wagon at all times. Enjoy the view and keep a sharp eye out for bandits," Sully said. As soon as he took a seat the wagon lurched slightly and began moving forward. As they made their trek up the mountain, Sully gave a narrative on the history of the Ponderosa and the surrounding area.

Harm and Mac were thoroughly enjoying the early morning mountain ride, watching the pine trees and the occasional small waterfall. Looking behind the wagon, they could see a magnificent view of Lake Tahoe as the sun began to crest over the mountains.

"It's beautiful here," Mac said softly.

Harm nodded in agreement before turning his attention to Sully once again.

They had been travelling up the mountain at a slow and steady pace for about twenty minutes when the sound of gunfire startled everyone and three men dressed in old western attire with bandanas covering their faces and riding on horseback suddenly surrounded the wagon. "Everyone put your hands where we can see 'em," one of the 'bandits' demanded, pointing his gun towards the wagon.

A few of the smaller children became distressed and their parents quietly reassured them.

Mac grinned at Harm as they put their hands in the air.

"What do ya'll think yer doin' out here?" one of them asked. Before anyone could answer he continued speaking. "This here's our territory an' we don't take kindly to no interlopers intrudin' on it. Everybody empty your pockets and hand over yer belongins."

Harm looked at Mac with a questioning look as some people laughed quietly and some of the small children whimpered and hid their faces in their parents' sides.

"Now look here," Sully said, standing and frowning at the bandits. "We're just headin' up the trail a might an' we ain't harmin' no one. Be on your way afore I get my temper up."

One of the bandits 'shot' at Sully and he ducked. Standing up, he frowned. "Now you look here whippersnapper~" he pulled a pistol from his holster as the driver of the wagon lifted a shotgun. "You folks better duck for cover," Sully said to those in the wagon as a gun battle ensued. It was over in a few minutes with all three of the bandits lying on the ground.

Mac looked at Harm trying very hard to stifle her laughter as the three 'bandits' stood and grabbed their horses' reins.

"All right folks, the show's over; thanks for being such good sports," the lead bandit said with a smile. "Enjoy your day here at the Ponderosa."

The three men climbed up on their horses and took off down the hill the way the wagon had come from as those in the wagon clapped for them.

As soon as they were moving again Harm leaned forward and kissed Mac's hair. "I notice you didn't duck when Sully told everyone to," he murmured. "But I forgot~ Marine's don't duck; they take cover."

Mac lost it at that point and laughed heartily as she nodded and Harm joined in her laughter.

The rest of the journey up the hill was spent enjoying the view and talking quietly. When they reached their destination Harm jumped out of the wagon first and helped Mac down before they turned around and walked a few feet from the wagon to view their surroundings. Directly in front of them was an amazing view of Lake Tahoe and the surrounding mountains. There was a playground near a small building that had a sign indicating that it was where the restrooms were located to the right and when he turned to the right again he saw a bunch of picnic tables scattered about and another building just in front of him. In front of that there was a long row of tables that had people dressed in old western attire with white aprons and they were waiting to serve people their breakfast.

"All righty folks," Sully called everyone that had just gotten off of the wagon to attention. "That over there is the 'chuck wagon' line: line up and grab you some silverware and a plate and the kind folks will serve you. The condiments and drinks are on the other tables at the end of the serving line. When you finish eating just leave your dishes on the picnic table and you can make your way back down the path to the central part of the Ponderosa. Enjoy your breakfast and your day here at the Ponderosa Ranch!"

People began making their way over to the serving line and Harm held out his hand for Mac as they followed.

Harm and Mac got their plates of food; Mac having gotten bacon and sausage, hard-boiled eggs, chocolate chip pancakes and a small serving of fresh fruit and berries while Harm had gotten scrambled eggs, blueberry pancakes and a large helping of fruit and berries. They found seats at a picnic table before heading over to get their drinks. Harm got coffee and a glass of orange juice while Mac had a big glass of milk and some hot chocolate.

Another couple had joined them at the picnic table, as most of the others were crowded with families, and they enjoyed a nice chat with them while they ate. When they were finished eating they said goodbye to the other couple and began to make their way down the mountain path to the main part of the Ponderosa Ranch to enjoy the rest of their day.


	26. Chapter 26

As always, I want to say THANK YOU to each and every one of you that takes the time to post a review. I sincerely appreciate it even if I can't/don't take time to respond individually. All mistakes herein are mine. Enjoy!

**11:30 PST**

**Ponderosa Ranch**

**Incline Village, NV**

**May 27****th**

Mac sat on a hay bale and leaned her head on Harm's shoulder as they watched the old Wild West stunt show in the middle of the replica of Virginia City. Some of the jokes were really corny, but the stunts were quite good and the show was fun to watch. Mac noticed that every time a gun went off, Rachel gave a strong kick. She placed her hand on her abdomen and rubbed gently, murmuring soft reassurances to her unborn child.

Harm noticed and quirked an eyebrow at her. "Is everything okay?" he asked quietly.

Mac nodded and smiled at him. "The noise is startling her, I think."

Harm looked slightly concerned. "Should we go?"

Mac shook her head. "She'll be fine."

Harm didn't look entirely convinced, but he turned his attention back to the show.

As soon as it was over and the crowd began to disburse, Harm helped Mac to her feet and they continued their exploration of the Ranch.

Mac dragged him to the petting zoo and spent time feeding and petting the various animals, and then laughed when Harm insisted she go to the restroom to thoroughly wash her hands afterwards, claiming that the hand sanitizer wasn't sufficient.

After she re-emerged from the restroom, they went into a gift shop and began perusing items there. Mac bought them each a souvenir tin cup; one with a picture of the map of the Ponderosa on one side and a picture of Lake Tahoe on the other, and the other with a picture of the characters from the television show on it. They found a few other items for themselves and some other items for friends and family, before they left the store and began to look for a place to eat lunch.

Mac found a barbeque place and pulled Harm towards it, ignoring his groan of protest. He was pleasantly surprised that they had a few vegetarian friendly items.

After they got their lunch and found a place to sit, they started eating and talking about what they'd liked about their day so far.

"I really enjoyed the Native American museum," Mac said, wiping barbeque sauce from her mouth. "And the quick-draw gun show. I like that he was giving a history lesson, without it seeming like he was because of the comedy act and quick-draw show."

Harm smiled and nodded. "I liked the tour of the Ranch House, but it seemed so much smaller than I thought it would be after watching it on T.V. all those years. I also thought the Native American folk dance was really interesting to watch."

"Oh, yeah," Mac nodded. "The culture is so beautiful and I thought the dancers were amazing. You know, I have some Native American blood in my ancestry."

"Oh? On which side of your family?" he asked.

"My dad's," she replied. "My great-grandfather was Scottish and he married a girl who was half Irish and half Sioux. Her mother was an Irish woman whose husband had been killed when a Sioux tribe raided their farm and then raped her… which resulted in my great-grandmother being born. They stole all of their cattle and horses and left my great-great-grandmother lying in front of their house naked and bruised with a screaming toddler~ her son~ sitting beside her." She sighed and shook her head. "She was a strong woman; she managed to maintain the farm and raise her two children on her own until she met a man who didn't care about what had happened to her, or that her child was a 'half-breed' and married her. They had two more boys after that."

"Sounds like you have an interesting family history," Harm said, taking her hand and kissing it. "How do you know all of this?"

"I did genealogies on both sides of my family a couple of years ago," she shrugged.

Harm smiled. "My grandmother has records of both sides of my father's family dating back to when my great-grandparents on my grandfather's side emigrated from Germany and when her grandparents came from Austria," he said. "I don't know much about my mom's side, except that her dad was mostly Irish and her mother was Scotch-Irish."

"Would you be interested in doing a genealogy?" Mac asked. "I'd be happy to help."

Harm smiled and kissed her knuckles. "Maybe someday; we have enough on our plates trying to get settled and prepare for a new baby right now."

Mac grinned and nodded.

After they finished eating lunch, Mac asked if they could go and sit in one of the buildings that was presenting a film about the history of the area, including how mining, cattle ranches and logging had made an impact on the economy and growth of the Old West.

Harm agreed and he enjoyed it just as much as Mac did.

They spent a few more hours exploring the theme park and watching a couple more shows, and then it was almost time for the park to close, so they decided to head back towards South Lake Tahoe where their hotel was.

"Are you tired?" Harm asked as they drove south around the lake.

"A little," Mac said. "Why do you ask?"

"I was thinking we could go take a short nap and then go for a late dinner and show at the resort," he said. "The honeymoon package includes two nights of dinner at a restaurant of our choice at the resort and a show of our choosing for each night."

"That sounds like fun," Mac said with a smile. "What shows are there?"

"I'll have to check when we get back to the hotel," Harm said.

"Okay," Mac agreed. "I think I'll take a bath and then take a nap; it's 16:12 right now, so why don't you see if we can go to dinner around 1900 and catch a show afterwards?"

"I think that sounds like a good plan, Mrs. Rabb," Harm said, taking her hand and kissing her knuckles with a smile.

They arrived at the resort a few minutes later and Mac went straight to the bathroom while Harm changed into a pair of sweats and looked up what restaurants and shows were available. After asking for Mac's input on where she'd like to eat and which show she'd like to see, he called down to the concierge's desk and made reservations for both for that evening. Then he settled himself into the bed and picked up the book he was reading.

Mac emerged from the bathroom dressed in her own pair of sweats and climbed into the bed beside him. She smiled as she just watched him for a few minutes before she drifted off to sleep.

Harm looked over and found his wife was sound asleep and smiled. He put the book on the night table and then scooted down so that he was facing Mac. He placed his palm on her extended abdomen and rubbed it in slow, gentle circles, occasionally feeling the kicks from his unborn daughter.

It still amazed him that he was going to be a father. He was thrilled and terrified all at the same time. As he thought about what kind of father he wanted to be, his hand stilled on his wife's abdomen and he just absorbed himself in the contentment he felt. Soon, he too had drifted off to sleep.


End file.
